Metallica closed out the Australian leg of their M72 World Tour with a tribute to two of the country’s most influential rock acts, performing covers of AC/DC and Rose Tattoo during their Nov. 15 concert at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.

The gesture came during the band’s signature “doodle” segment — the stripped-back interlude led by guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — which has become a staple of the current tour.

The pair launched into an instrumental version of AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” before shifting into Rose Tattoo’s “Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock ’n’ Roll,” drawing loud approval from the sold-out crowd. The moment carried added resonance as AC/DC were performing their own Power Up tour the same night in Melbourne, creating a rare split-city convergence of two generations of rock royalty.

The Sydney show capped a five-city Australian run in which Metallica incorporated local tributes at every stop. In Perth on Nov. 1, Hammett and Trujillo performed John Butler Trio’s “Zebra.” Adelaide received a rendition of The Angels’ “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again,” while Melbourne fans heard a nod to The Living End’s “Prisoner of Society” with hints of INXS’ “Don’t Change.” Brisbane’s Nov. 12 show featured The Chats’ punk anthem “Smoko,” a moment that sent the audience into full-throttle chaos.

Metallica performed to roughly 70,000 fans in Sydney, supported by Evanescence and Suicidal Tendencies. Their 360-degree stage design once again featured the Snake Pit walkway, robotic cameras and drones — a production approach that has defined the visual identity of the M72 tour and pushed the stadium experience into new territory.

The timing of the show aligned with a major period for Australian rock audiences. Oasis had wrapped their Australian stadium run one week earlier, and AC/DC’s return created back-to-back landmark moments for fans across the country.

Next, Metallica will continue the M72 World Tour in Auckland on Nov. 19 before heading to Qatar.

Sharon Osbourne is pushing back against an attempt to release early Black Sabbath recordings, publicly challenging former band manager Jim Simpson after he issued a press release claiming legal ownership of the tapes.

The dispute, which escalated over the weekend, comes months after the death of her husband, founding Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne.

Simpson, who managed the group in their earliest days, announced on Nov. 14 that he intends to release a collection of 1969 demos recorded before the band adopted the Black Sabbath name. The material, titled Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes, was initially expected for release in July. The project has yet to materialize, but Simpson maintains he has the right to distribute the recordings.

Sharon publicly disputed those claims in a detailed Instagram post shared on Saturday (Nov. 15). Her post included screenshots of a July 2 email she says she sent to Simpson, warning him against moving forward without the band’s approval.

“As you know, the Band do not want these tapes released, not least as they haven’t heard them despite you saying you would provide copies long ago,” she wrote. “You know that, as a band, Black Sabbath don’t take things lying down and you can be assured that if you go ahead with this against the Band’s wishes we will take any action where their rights are infringed, both here and in America.”

The demos in question feature the band’s original lineup—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward—during the brief period when they performed under the name Earth. While recordings from this era have long been of interest to collectors, the group has historically kept tight control over their early catalog and archival releases.

The dispute adds to a high-profile week for the Osbourne family. Earlier in the week, Sharon and her children Kelly and Jack Osbourne publicly criticized Roger Waters on The Osbournes Podcast after the Pink Floyd co-founder made disparaging comments about Ozzy in an interview with The Independent Ink. Sharon responded by calling Waters “one of the most twisted, sick individuals I’ve come across in years.”

For now, Simpson’s proposed release of Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes appears stalled, but Sharon’s post signals the band’s intention to challenge any distribution that doesn’t involve Black Sabbath’s approval. With legal questions unresolved and no release date announced, the future of the recordings remains unclear.

After 61 years of smashing guitars and raising the bar on rock music as an art form, The Who wrapped up their farewell tour six weeks ago in California. But even if the song is over, Pete Townshend is far from finished exploring the creative opportunities presented by the band’s sprawling catalog.

On Friday (Nov. 14), Townshend brought a ballet production of the band’s acclaimed 1973 rock opera, Quadrophenia, to the New York City Center in Manhattan. Directed by Rob Ashford and soundtracked by an orchestral version of the double-album arranged by Rachel Fuller, Quadrophenia, A Rock Ballet—which previously played in London as Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet—made its Stateside debut. The show boasts a remarkably talented cast (including Ansel Elgort as the bare-chested, guitar-bashing Godfather) who deftly split the difference between stunning dance moves and the expressive yet subtle dramatics this story–about a young man struggling to find his place in the world while clashing with friends, family and himself–demands.

Lead performer Paris Fitzpatrick as Jimmy was revelatory, especially in the final scene where he writhes and spins through a near-suicidal emotional breakdown on a cliff overlooking a raging sea. (When it comes to the Who’s rock operas, Tommy, for all its virtues, is campy and outrageous, while Quadrophenia feels gritty and grounded.) Aside from the orchestral score—which includes two full-on rock detours, “My Generation” and “I Can’t Explain,” era-appropriate Who tunes not present on the 1973 LP—Paul Smith’s costume designs for mods, rockers, British soldiers and bellhops are a delight.

But what really makes Quadrophenia, A Rock Ballet land on the right foot is the choreography. A balletic interpretation of a ‘70s rock opera could go astray or painfully wrong in so many ways, yet choreographer Paul Roberts managed to convey the nervous thrills and impotent frustrations of youth with movements that are frenetic yet graceful, jaw-dropping but never showy. Jimmy’s fantasy about a bisexual three-way was a standout moment, marvelously expressing the potent cocktail of erotic longing and societal shame that accompanies adolescence.

Tragically, Roberts, who was also a frequent collaborator of Harry Styles, died of cancer on Sept. 26 at the age of 52. After several bows from the cast, Townshend—who also appears during the show as a guitar-strumming elder statesman (no, Pete doesn’t plié or jeté)—came out to a standing ovation and said a few words about his late collaborator.

“He’s not with us anymore,” Townshend said, dedicating the show to Roberts. “We worked right through to the end of the show in rehearsals and sessions in Sadler’s Wells and London. Then he went off to sadly pass away from cancer. This show, hopefully, we brought it—I brought it to New York out of my own pocket,” he said to appreciative applause. “You know how I feel about the U.S. of A and, in particular, this city. I really wanted to bring it here for him, his husband Phil (Griffin) and everybody in this company. It’s a British company and we brought some of our crew here to New York. It’s not the usual thing and I’m so grateful to all the unions for helping this happen. Thanks for supporting us here.”

Following the show, Townshend joined Elgort, Fitzpatrick and the rest of the cast and crew for tapas, drinks and even a mini The Fault in Our Stars reunion (Shailene Woodley came out to support her former co-star) at the venue’s VIP lounge.

Quadrophenia, A Rock Ballet wraps its New York City Center run on Sunday (Nov. 16), but hopefully this won’t be the last time it graces Stateside stages. While it’s far different from the recent (also excellent) Broadway revival of The Who’s Tommy, both productions demonstrate that the Who’s catalog remains fascinating fodder for a variety of art forms.

Todd Snider, a singer whose thoughtfully freewheeling tunes and cosmic-stoner songwriting made him a beloved figure in American roots music, has died. He was 59.

His record label said Saturday (Nov. 15) in a statement posted to his social media accounts that Snider died Friday.

“Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?” the statement read. “Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”

Snider’s family and friends had said in a Friday statement that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia at a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and that his situation had since grown more complicated and he was transferred elsewhere. The diagnosis came on the heels of the cancellation of a tour after Snider had been the victim of a violent assault in the Salt Lake City area, according to a Nov. 3 statement from his management team.

But Salt Lake City police later arrested Snider himself when he at first refused to leave a hospital and later returned and threatened staffers, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The scrapped tour was in support of his most recent album, High, Lonesome and Then Some, which released in October. Snider combined elements of folk, rock and country in a three-decade career. In reviews of his recent albums, The Associated Press called him a “singer-songwriter with the persona of a fried folkie” and a “stoner troubadour and cosmic comic.”

He modeled himself on — and at times met and was mentored by — artists like Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark and John Prine. His songs were recorded by artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Jones. And he co-wrote a song with Loretta Lynn that appeared on her 2016 album, Full Circle.

“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens,” the Saturday statement from his label read. “He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly.”

Snider would do his best-known and most acclaimed work for Prine’s independent label Oh Boy in the early 2000s. It included the albums New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms and East Nashville Skyline, a 2004 collection that’s considered by many to be his best.

Those albums yielded his best known songs, “I Can’t Complain,” “Beer Run” and “Alright Guy.”

Snider was born and raised in Oregon before settling and making his musical chops in San Marcos, Texas. He eventually made his way to Nashville, and was dubbed by some the unofficial “mayor of East Nashville,” assuming the title from a friend memorialized thusly in his “Train Song.” In 2021, Snider said a tornado that ripped through the neighborhood home to a vibrant arts scene severely damaged his house.

Snider had an early fan in Jimmy Buffett, who signed the young artist to his record label, Margaritaville, which released his first two albums, 1994’s Songs for the Daily Planet and 1996’s Step Right Up.