all the noise that's fit to blog
The inaugural Power to the People festival was even better than expected.
The Tom Morello curated concert that kicked off Saturday (10/3) at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, casually hosted rock, hip-hop, folk and punk rockers under the idealistic notion of "peace, love, justice and music.”
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Last Friday (9/25) Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal kicked off their 30th Anniversary Tour with a deliberately small warm-up show at Krakatoa in Mérignac, France, just outside Bordeaux.
The 1,445-capacity room had only reopened to the public two weeks earlier after completing a major two-year renovation. The upgrades increased the main room by nearly 250 people, installed balconies, and created an intimate new club that can accommodate 258 partygoers.
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For a band who has basically done it all in their 45 years in heavy metal, Metallica was faced with something new: performing at the Sphere, Las Vegas' ultimate music venue.
And even though they are a band that seems to like to take on new challenges, drummer Lars Ulrich was frank this summer when he told NME the quartet weren't walking into their residency with cockiness.
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U2 went back to where it all started Friday (9/25), taking over the yard at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Clontarf, Dublin, for a surprise set in front of about 1,000 students and staff.
Fifty years ago, 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr. pinned a handwritten notice to the school board that read “DRUMMER SEEKS MUSICIANS TO FORM A BAND,” Bono, David Evans and Adam Clayton eventually answered the call.
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What was it about October that throughout rock history such great music was dropped in this magical month? From the Boss to the Pistols, from Taylor to Dire Straits, October has delivered way more treats than tricks.
October 1 — U2, The Unforgettable Fire (1984, Island Records). U2 loosened its grip on straightforward arena rock and let Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois lead the band toward something hazier and more adventurous. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” became the anthem, but the album’s atmosphere is what makes it special.
Whoever said you can't go home again obviously didn't have a cover band.
Billie Joe Armstrong has one that's so good CJ Ramone joined them on a few Ramones classics on the little league field Saturday (9/26) a young BJ used to play on.
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After Mother Nature tossed a wet blanket on the All Things Go Festival, forcing organizers to cancel it all, Carly Rae Jepsen called an audible and found shelter at Irving Plaza on Sunday (9/27) in Manhattan.
The last minute pop-up was a win win for all the Canadian singer's fans who were able to change their plans because not only was the price right at just $15, but CRJ doled out seven live debuts.
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Of the dozen albums that Rush pulls from to build its setlist on their current Rush 50 Tour, the songs from 1981's Moving Pictures account for 30% of the set.
That record became their commercial peak without having to sacrifice creativity. Several other bands experienced that same phenomenon: being not only successful, but wildly so, eight albums deep in their career.
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Eddie Vedder’s original idea in creating the Ohana Festival was to make a rock festival feel more like a family gathering. Last weekend's edition, the fest's 10th, may have been the purest version of that vision to date.
Over the three days (9/25, 9/26, 9/27) at the Doheny State Beach behind the Orange curtain, Vedder was everywhere once again.
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Even though Madonna stole the show with her wild opening and Taylor Swift dominated the second half of the telecast, there were many performances of note at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (9/27).
Pop, rap, dance, country, and even K-pop was represented in the annual award show, this year returning to Los Angeles after a 9-year absence. One genre, once a staple on the cable channel back when it shaped pop culture by showing music videos, was rock.
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Madonna, MTV Video Music Awards' first star, dominated the night again 43 years later.
Now 68 years old, the Queen of Pop opened the show Sunday (9/27) at the Peacock Theater in downtown LA. She led the field with 13 nominations and went home with seven wins, including Best Album and Artist of the Year.
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A video of Bruce Dickinson singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” is making the rounds today, but the Iron Maiden frontman performed it at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ home opener against the Seattle Seahawks on September 14, 2025. Dickinson brought the kind of high-flying voice that has powered the band for decades to Acrisure Stadium.
Born in Worksop, England, Dickinson joined Iron Maiden in 1981 and became one of heavy metal’s defining frontmen. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, according to its official website.
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