C101 HITMAN ROCK REPORT

As part of an extended "In Memoriam" segment during Sunday's GRAMMY Awards,  an all-star tribute to Ozzy Osbourne will take place .

Aerosmith's self-titled debut album was released 53 years ago this month. In March,  a remixed, remastered and expanded edition of the album  will be made available to fans.

Lamb of God 's  Randy Blythe  has let his voice be heard, and he's encouraging others to do the same, in a new entry shared through his  Randonesia Substack addressing the state of the U.S. under the Trump administration and recent ICE-involved shootings in Minneapolis. (www.loudwire.com)

Alice Cooper is 77-years-old but has no intention of slowing down. Saying recently that  he's putting on the best shows of his storied career , the legend has  announced a spring tour .

LA Guns are cocked and loaded for a new world tour, and they're bringing former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer and his band along for the ride on some of the dates. 

 According to Domainnamewire.com , Slipknot have voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit against the domain name for slipknot.com. Lawyers for the domain name filed a motion to dismiss the suit, stating that the band had not served as the registrant for the name in the time required.

Francis Buchholz, the bass player for Scorpions at their peak,  has passed . On social media, the band paid tribute, saying "It is with overwhelming sadness and heavy hearts we share the news that our beloved Francis passed away yesterday after a private battle with cancer. 

There's one thing that  Dave Mustaine  thinks would "make everything right" between himself and his former  Metallica bandmates — and that's for both bands to tour together. (www.loudwire.com)

Bret Michaels  opted to take the the high road in his response to  Poison  drummer Rikki Rockett's recent claims that his  monetary demands caused Poison's 40th anniversary tour plans to fall apart. (www.loudwire.com)

A California woman has revived her  2023 sexual abuse lawsuit  against  Motley Crue  drummer  Tommy Lee citing a new California law that has opened a "two-year lookback window." (www.loudwire.com)

While it's been almost 42 years since Rush released "Grace Under Pressure" (April 12, 1984),  they have announced  an expanded 40th anniversary release of the album, and it would appear the two year wait will have been worth it.

Motley Crue is getting after it this year, with over 30 shows scheduled for their US tour. But what about after that? Nikki Sixx had a conversation with fans on his socials recently, where he hinted the band  may be taking a good amount of time off.

Poison's 40th anniversary tour is reportedly off, because Bret Michaels wanted to make 600% more than the other members.  Drummer Rikki Rockett says, quote, "You just can't work that way."

The documentary "Billy Idol Should Be Dead" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, but at the time, the number of people seeing it was fairly limited. That's about to change;  the doc will have a wide theatrical release  in the next few months.

Two Bay Area rock bands are teaming up for a special Super Bowl weekend concert. Green Day and Counting Crows will play an invite-only show at San Francisco's Pier 29 on Friday, February 6th, just a few days before the big game in nearby Santa Clara.

It's going to cost more to stream music on Spotify.  The platform announced yesterday  that it's increasing the prices of its premium, ad-free streaming plans in the U.S. over the next month. 

The alleged "hidden daughter" of Freddie Mercury has passed.  Last spring we told you  that a new book claimed that the Queen frontman had fathered a secret daughter in 1976.

Music streaming reached an all-time high  in 2025, with listeners logging over 5.1-trillion streams, 1.4-trillion in the US alone. Interestingly, however, most streamers are listening to older music; less than half of all U.S. on-demand audio streams (43-percent) were from tracks released in the last five years (2021 - 2025).

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has announced his first solo album, "Honora," coming out March 27th on Nonesuch Records, but it’s not the rock project you might expect. 

After recent rumors fueled speculation that  Ivan Moody  might be returning to his former band  Motograter , the  Five Finger Death Punch  has posted a lengthy explanation to  his Instagram account  as to what is happening with his former group and how he's helping to solidify their future.

"The Sun" reports  that Metallica are "90-percent" done with negotiations to bring the band to the Sphere in Las Vegas for a 2027 residency. Sources tell the Brit tabloid that "Metallica having a residency at the Sphere is all anyone is talking about on the Strip. 

That's a huge drop off from initial estimates. Last July, it was estimated (and reported by Tom Morello) that Black Sabbath's "Back To The Beginning" farewell concert  raised an astounding $190-million  for charity. Days later, Sharon Osbourne said that, while the numbers weren't finalized,  they were far short of that estimate .

The lineup for the 2026 edition of the "Rock The Country" traveling festival  has been announced , and it's jam packed with big name country, rock, and hip hop acts. The three day event will stop in eight cities, and, while the lineup will change depending on the date, the performers will bring major star power to every city it visits.

Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and co-founder of the Grateful Dead,  has passed . Weir’s death was confirmed Saturday in a statement published on his official social media accounts. 

The Black Crowes have announced  a new album, "A Pound of Feathers," will be coming out March 13th. Along with the announcement, the band released two new tracks, "Profane Prophecy" and "Pharmacy Chronicles."