Greetings Rockers ’N’ Rollers! The New Year and Winter begin a slow time for concerts however local artists seem to keep live events happening. York-based jam band, Hexbelt, returned to HMAC’s Stage On Herr to a great crowd on January 10 for their Annual Capricorn Hoedown. “3D Monthly Music” once reviewed Hexbelt as “Solid groovin’ in the pocket rock with an experimental edge that moves through the spectrum of blues, funk, ska and rip-snortin raging rock-n-roll with a prevalent hippie anarchist punk attitude running throughout.” Hexbelt have been around for over three decades and continue to play sporadically in Central PA.
Reading-based hardcore rock band, Anthrophobia, returned to Harrisburg’s XL Live on January 16 for a free concert celebrating an EP Release Show by fellow rockers, Defiant. Anthrophobia played a very tight and great loud set of songs from their 40-year history catalog. The band has been nominated this year by the Central PA Music Hall of Fame for Best Hard Rock Band in 2025. The Central Pennsylvania Music Awards will take place on March 4 at Lancaster’s American Music Theatre. National band, The Menzingers, originally from Scranton and now based in Philadelphia played a sold-out show at Mickey’s Black Box in Lititz on January 23. A great performance consisting of 20 songs from their 7 studio album history. The Menzingers played Allentown’s Acher Hall the following night and will play an 18-date tour of America beginning in March.
NATIONAL NEWS: Bob Weir, the Other One, passed away on January 10 at the age of 78 following a battle with cancer and lung issues. The guitarist/vocalist was one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. Weir joins his former bandmates who have passed; Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, among others. Drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart are the sole survivors of that early ‘70s classic-era Dead lineup. Weir joined Garcia and the others at just 16 years old and played in Deadcentric outfits, including the Grateful Dead, The Dead, the Other Ones, Furthur, Ratdog, and Dead & Company with virtuoso John Mayer. An estimated 20,000 fans flocked San Francisco for a free public gathering for Weir on January 17, the city in which he was born and the Grateful Dead originated.
Sting has paid his former bandmates in The Police over $800,000 in royalties since they filed a lawsuit in September 2025. Lawyers for The Police drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers revealed the payment was made after they sued Sting and his publishing company last year, claiming Sting owed them between $2m and $10.75m in unpaid royalties. In London’s High Court, the lawyers said the claim could rise even higher. They also said the “historic underpayment” did not include interest. The dispute dates back to The Police’s formation in 1977, when Sting initially agreed to pay the pair “15 percent of some royalties” from songs he wrote for the group. For context on the money at stake, Sting reportedly earns £550,000, or approximately $740,000, in royalties each year on The Police’s classic hit “Every Breath You Take” alone.
Founding Poison drummer Rikki Rockett has announced plans to pay tribute to Poison’s “Look What The Cat Dragged In” album by performing the entire LP with his new band, the Rockett Mafia. This year marks the album’s 40th anniversary, which features the hits “Talk Dirty To Me”, “I Want Action”, “Cry Tough” and the album’s title cut. The Rockett Mafia consists of: Rikki Rockett on drums, Brandon Gibbs (Devil City Angels) on vocals and guitar, Mick Sweda (Bulletboys) on guitar and backing vocals and Michael Adams (Puddle of Mudd) on bass. Concert dates are still being finalized. Poison scrapped previously proposed 2026 tour plans after frontman Bret Michaels allegedly demanded to earn $6 for every dollar each of his bandmates stood to make from the shows. “We had a great offer for a tour this year, I thought. But we left the table,” Rikki revealed “It didn’t work.”
JAY-Z is “entitled” to receive nearly $120,000 after a judge ruled in his favor following the dismissal of the years-long paternity case against him. The veteran rapper is “entitled to recover” attorney’s fees and other relevant costs from the plaintiff, Lillie Coley. Coley is the “godmother and legal guardian” of Rymir Satterthwaite, who claimed JAY-Z is his biological father. Coley’s paternity lawsuit was dismissed following a 15-year legal battle that Mr. Satterthwaite launched in a New Jersey courtroom over child support in 2010. “The fabricated allegations and claims have been addressed—and rejected—in multiple other courts,” JAY-Z’s attorneys wrote last year. They also argued the lawsuit was part of Sattherthwaite’s “decades-long harassment” against him.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp will head out on a victory lap this summer dubbed Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits. This tour, “marks the first time Mellencamp will be performing all his most beloved songs in a single night, some of which haven’t been played live in many years.” The 19-city tour visits PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on July 25 and Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA on July 29. The tour promises performances of Mellencamp’s best known songs including “Pink Houses,” “Jack and Diane,” “Small Town,” “Hurts So Good,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” “I Need a Lover,” “Wild Nights” among others.
Sammy Hagar has announced a limited run of dates reuniting the Red Rocker with his Best of All Worlds Band, featuring fellow Hall of Famer and original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, and powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff. The tour will feature special guest Rick Springfield at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on June 22 and also visit MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on June 26 and 27. Collectively, Anthony, Satriani, and Aronoff have played together in nearly every phase of Hagar’s career – including Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and The Circle – so fans can expect a refreshed 2026 setlist drawing from some of the biggest rock anthems of the last four decades.
Bruno Mars is the one leading the way for 2026 stadium concerts. The global superstar set a single-day ticket sales record for Live Nation across North America, Europe and the U.K., and he also shattered a Ticketmaster record by moving 2.1 million tickets in a single day. The demand for “The Romantic Tour” was so high that Mars added 32 dates, including six nights at London’s Wembley Stadium. Nine-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak will perform as DJ Pee Wee and join Mars on the road. Mars hasn’t formally gone on tour since 2018’s “24K Magic Tour.” The superstar is embarking on his first-ever stadium trek to promote his fourth solo album, The Romantic, which will be released on all platforms February 27 via Atlantic Records. Dates include: Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD May 2 and 3, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ Aug 21,22,25,26, Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh Aug 29 and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia Sept 1 and 2.
Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson will join forces once again this summer for a 21-stop co-headlining tour of North American amphitheaters. Mongolian metal band The Hu and LA industrial veterans Orgy will support on the tour.
Band Of Horses has plotted out their spring tour dates with stops at Philadelphia’s Fillmore on April 14 and Baltimore’s Nevermore Hall on April 18. The upcoming dates celebrate the 20th anniversary of Band Of Horses’ debut album, Everything All The Time. On March 20, they’ll release an expanded 19-track edition of the album. “This album made all of my dreams come true,” Band Of Horses’ Ben Bridwell added “Forever grateful for the desperation that fueled its inspiration.”
Rock band Bush will hit the road in 2026 in support of their latest album I Beat Loneliness. Gavin Rossdale and company will launch “The Land of Milk and Honey” tour February 20 at Bethlehem’s Wind Creek followed by 20- stops including Pittsburgh’s UPMC Events Center on April 7 and The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on April 9.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Foreigner, have announced two acoustic shows in Beaver Creek, Colorado, February 25-26 that will officially launch its 50th anniversary tour. Foreigner’s “milestone celebration will continue throughout 2027 when the band marks the 50th anniversary of the March 8th, 1977 release of its iconic self-titled debut album.” The LP boasted hits including “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Long, Long Way From Home.” Foreigner has also lined up a run of dates in Florida in April with original vocalist Lou Gramm as the band’s special guest. The band’s summer plans also include a co-headline tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd with amphitheater shows booked across the U.S including Bristow, VA on July 25 and Camden, NJ on Aug 20.
Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show” will keep rolling through fall 2026, as the 11-time Grammy winner has announced two dozen stops for the long-running tour. The lineup includes Lainey Wilson, Zach Top, Allen Stone, Ashley McBryde, Carter Faith, Grace Potter, Maggie Rose, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Molly Tuttle, Nikki Lane and The Teskey Brothers on various dates. Stapleton’s tour visits Hersheypark Stadium on June 24 and Philadelphia Freedom Mortgage Pavilion on August 28.
James Taylor & His All-Star Band will tour 30 cities across the U.S. in 2026 including the Giant Center in Hershey on June 25.
Five Finger Death Punch has their “20th Anniversary World Tour” visiting 48-cities including Hersheypark Stadium on July 25. Pitbull is returning to North America with the “I’m Back Tour,” with Lil Jon joining him as a special guest. Pitbull will visit Hersheypark Stadium on August 22. FEBRUARY CONCERTS: Twen – State College Manny’s Feb 5. Swisher Sweets – Camp Hill Flinchys Feb 14. The Luv Gods – Grantville Hollywood Casino Feb 14. Twen – Philadelphia Milkboy Feb 18. Junk Punk – Gettysburg Rocks Feb 21. Butcher Babies – Millersville Phantom Power Feb 27. Spiritual Cramp – Washington DC Atlantis Feb 27. Caligula Blushed (The Smiths/Morrissey tribute) – Harrisburg XL Live Feb 28
