Here's what happened in November & December in the world of music entertainment. For a list of all the newsworthy events earlier in the year, check out the earlier articles in this blog, or click the links at the bottom of the page.
NOVEMBER
- The Rolling Stones shared a cool new video for their 1981 hit “Start Me Up.” The band teamed with Boston Dynamics for the clip, which saw robots mimicking all of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood’s moves.
- Paul McCartney released “The Lyrics,” a song book featuring 154 tunes from his discography, including an unearthed set of lyrics of a never-before-heard Beatles song, “Tell Me Who He Is.”
- KISS’ planned Las Vegas residency at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino was canceled, allegedly due to “soft ticket sales.”
- U2 joined TikTok, making their catalog available to users who want to add their tunes to soundtrack their clips.
- Elton John launched his own signature eyewear line, Elton John Eyewear, which will be sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club.
- Bill Kreutzmann took a three-day break from playing drums for Dead & Company after leaving the stage mid-show during the band’s performance at the Hollywood Bowl.
- KISS shot down claims that slack COVID protocols on their “End Of The Road” tour led to the death of their longtime guitar tech Francis Stueber . Three crew members anonymously told “Rolling Stone” that there weren’t adequate health safety measures in place.
- After a two-year hiatus, Bob Dylan resumed his “Never Ending” tour, which first launched in 1988.
- Paul McCartney and Third Man Records teamed up for a mini-documentary, “McCartney/333.” The doc dove into the vinyl pressing process for the limited “333 Edition” of Paul’s acclaimed 2020 solo album “McCartney III.”
- Billy Joel returned return to the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York, his 120th lifetime performance at the legendary arena. It marked the return of Billy’s residency, with the last show taking place February 20, 2020, before concerts shut down due to the pandemic.
- Music prodigy Nandi Bushell went head-to-head with Queen’s Roger Taylor in a drum off.
- Van Morrison was sued for defamation after criticizing North Ireland’s response to COVID. Specifically, was hit with a defamation suit for his comments about North Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann.
- Sir Elton John was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, a special award given to those who have “made a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine or government lasting over a period of time.” It is one of the highest honors bestowed upon British citizens by Queen Elizabeth.
- “Radhe Shaam,” a previously unreleased single featuring Beatles legends George Harrison and Ringo Starr, was released.
- Graeme Edge, cofounding drummer of The Moody Blues, passed at 80 years old.
- After Paul McCartney called the Rolling Stones a blues cover band, The Who’s Roger Daltrey piled on the insults calling them “a mediocre pub band!’”
- U2 celebrated 30th anniversary of their classic album “Achtung Baby” with a new digital box set and more.
- KISS’ longtime manager Doc McGhee said in a interview that their residency is back on after being scrapped due to COVID concerns. It will now reportedly take place in August or October of 2022
- Genesis kicked off the North American leg of their “The Last Domino?” tour and performed the 1980 track “Misunderstanding,” from the album “Duke.” It was reportedly the first time they played it in entirety since 1984’s “Mama” tour.
- Paul McCartney career-spanning book “The Lyrics” was named Barnes & Noble's Book of the Year for 2021.
- Jonah Hill was cast to play the late Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming biopic about the band.
- Screenwriter Anthony McCarten sued the producers of the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” over the 2018 biopic’s profits.
- Eric Clapton shared his anti-vax stance during an appearance on The Defender, a podcast hosted by vocal anti-vaccine campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and JFK’s nephew.
- Mick Rock, the photographer of David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Queen, Madonna, and Blondie, passed away at the age of 72.
- Ringo Starr launched a MasterClass on drumming, where members got a peek into the former Beatle’s creative process, as well as the basics of drumming, songwriting and more.
- Nominees for the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced with Sir Paul McCartney earning two rock nods, Best Rock Album for “McCartney III,” and Best Rock Song for “Finding My Way.”
- Spencer Elden, the baby pictured on the cover of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album, filed an amended lawsuit in Los Angeles court. The new version of the suit cited sections of Kurt Cobain’s journal entries and removed some defendants, including drummer Chad Channing who barely played on “Nevermind” before being let go from the band and replaced by Dave Grohl.
- Peter Jackson’s three-part, six-hour Beatles documentary “Get Back” debuted on Disney +.
- Madonna blasted Instagram for taking down a photo she posted that showed a small part of her nipple.
- Metallica performed at the Triller Fight Club’s Triad Combat event on at the Globe Life Stadium In Arlington.
- Bryan Adams tested positive for COVID for the second time this month (he previously tested positive ahead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction). He was hospitalized after his latest positive test.
- Motley Crue sold their entire recorded music catalog to BMG for about $150-million.
DECEMBER
- Elton John dropped a surprise three-part documentary accompanying his collaborative album “The Lockdown Sessions.”
- Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy postponed his solo tour dates after testing positive for COVID-19.
- Elton John and Ed Sheeran released their holiday collaboration, "Merry Christmas,” with proceeds going to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation & [the Elton John Aids Foundation]."
- Following the recovery from an unscheduled heart procedure, Carlos Santana announced that all of his December shows at "the House of Blues Las Vegas" had been canceled.
- Former Led Zeppelin touring manager Richard Cole passed away at 75 after a long illness. Robert Plant paid tribute to Richard on Twitter, sharing a blurry photo with him and writing, “Farewell Ricardo… sadly no more tall tales… brave to the end.”
- The University of Florida honored Tom Petty with a posthumous doctorate in honor of his Floridian roots.
- Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler were among the stars in Washington DC to accept a Kennedy Center Honors award.
- Charlie Watts was honored by his friends, family, fellow musicians, and fellow Rolling Stones at a private celebration of his life in London. The event took place at the late drummer’s favorite jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s in Soho.
- Nominees for the 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced, with Van Morrison and Carole King among this year’s nominees.
- Rolling Stones topped Pollstar’s year-end touring numbers with the “No Filter” bringing in the most dough, $115.5 million.
- Les Emmerson, frontman of the Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band and writer of the classic “Signs,” passed away at the age of 77.
- An official music video for George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was released featuring 40 different actors, comedians, directors, musicians, artists, and other creatives.
- The Knicks’ Dave Davies announced he was releasing the autobiography "Living On A Thin Line” in July.
- Eric Clapton successfully sued a woman over an $11 bootleg of a concert.
- Metallica celebrated their 40th anniversary with two career-spanning concerts in San Francisco that aired on Amazon Prime Video.
- ZZ Top sold their music catalog to BMG and KKR for the whopping sum of $50 million. This not only includes a buyout of their publishing catalog, but also income from both recorded and performance royalties
- Rod Stewart and his son Sean pled guilty "in absentia" in their 2019 arrest for battering a security guard in during a New Year's Eve bash. They were fined $675.
- Mick Jagger and brother Chris Jagger announced they will team for a podcast series through "Hot Pie Media," which Chris is a partner in.
- Bruce Springsteen sold his music catalog to Sony for a reported $500 million. Sony Music Group confirmed they acquired The Boss’ entire recorded music and songwriting catalogs in two separate agreements including publishing rights to his tunes.
- Queen guitarist Brian May announced on social that he tested positive for COVID.
- An unheard early David Bowie record sold for just over $16,000 at auction. The vinyl was recorded while Bowie was fronting Davy Jones and the Lower Third, and features his 1965 recording of "I Want Your Love."
- Phish announced they were rescheduling their annual New Year’s residency at Madison Square Garden due to the new COVID surge.
- Lawyers for Nirvana responded to the lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden the “naked baby” on the cover of “Nevermind.” They argued that Elden’s claims were “not serious” since he’s been profiting off his album cover fame for years. They also said the statute of limitations for “child pornography” claims had run out.
- Elton John extended his record for the most AC number ones to 17 when “Merry Christmas,” his collab with Ed Sheeran topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart
- Paul Stanley of KISS revealed this his whole family has tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID.
Click these links for the other months of 2021:
photo: Getty Images