rockintown.com
Top 33 Stories Of 2025
Top Rock stories of 2025 include wildfire relief efforts in L.A. County, Rock Hall of Fame Inductions and the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. The following is a month-by-month recap of what happened in 2025.
January
1/13 Metallica Announces Major Donation
Metallica’s All Within My Hands (AWMH) foundation grants $500,000 for Los Angeles area wildfire relief efforts carried out by the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief And Recovery Fund.
A series of destructive wildfires forced more than 200,000 to evacuate, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures.
Metallica
1/14 Dave Grohl Stirs The Pot For Fire Relief
The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl celebrates his 56th birthday by cooking a large batch of chili with other volunteers at Feed The Streets, a local nonprofit that distributes meals to displaced families and inmate firefighters in the SoCal area.
Grohl, an L.A. resident, is part of the music community’s efforts to raise money through benefit concerts and other activities for people displaced by the wildfires that erupted on January 7th, killing at least 25 people and damaging or destroying more than 12,000 homes and buildings.
Dave Grohl
1/15 Ice Nine Kills Raises Funds For Wildfire Relief
Ice Nine Kills announces they have raised over $100,000 for victims for the California Wildfires with their “Heed The Call For California” benefit shirt.
““Most of us live in California, and like many people here, we felt powerless as we watched the devastation unfold.,” offered the Metalcore band’s frontman Spencer Charnas.
All proceeds go to the California Fire Foundation Wildfire and Disaster Relief Fund.
Ice Nine Kills Tee-Shirt
1/30 System Of A Down’s “Toxicity” Crosses YouTube’s Billion Threshold
System Of A Down’s “Toxicity” music video officially passes a billion views on YouTube. It is the title track from System Of A Down’s sophomore album.
Released in 2002, the song was written by band members guitarist Daron Malakian, bassist Shavo Odadjian and vocalist Serj Tankian.
System Of A Down
Toxicity
Malakian’s vision for “Toxicity” steered the band toward a more melodic and anthemic direction, expanding their sound beyond their Metal roots.
His focus on large choruses was a departure from the band’s earlier style, reflecting an evolution in their musical approach.
1/30 “FireAid” concerts in L.A.
Rock musicians perform at two venues to raise money to aid in rebuilding after wildfires devastated the L.A. area.
Performers at the Intuit Dome include Jelly Roll. Rod Stewart, Sting and Stevie Wonder.
At the Kia Forum Green Day, Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, Pink, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Stevie Nicks take the stage.
Green Day
Also, the surviving members of Nirvana performed with guest vocalists including Joan Jett, St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet.
February
2/25 Three Days Grace Play First Full Show With Singer Adam Gontier In 12 Years
Three Days Grace are the support for Disturbed on the U.S. leg of “The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour“ at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, ID.
“There are so many songs that the guys have put out over the last 10 years that I haven’t been around for that I love and I want to sing,” offered Gontier, “I think we might do that a couple of times, maybe I jump on one of the newer ones and Matt (Walst) sings a couple of the old ones.”
Three Days Grace
2/28 New York Dolls Co-Founder Dies
David Johansen dies at his home on Staten Island. He was 75.
The previous month Johansen revealed that he had been living with stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor. He had kept keep his illness private for years.
The legendary New York Dolls are widely acknowledged as a groundbreaking Punk band.
While not a commercial success, they were a cult favorite but fell apart after two albums. They regrouped decades later.
David Johansen
March
3/15 Shinedown Are The First To Score Twenty #1s On Mainstream Rock
“Dance, Kid, Dance” is Shinedown’s 20th song to reach #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Shinedown has the most #1s on the chart.
The band’s first #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart came in 2005 with “Save Me.”
Dance, Kid, Dance
Shinedown
The song alludes to kids being put on pharmaceutical in America. “I was fortunate as a child,” offered Shinedown bassist Eric Bass. “I was diagnosed with what was just termed as ADD back in the 1970s when I was diagnosed. They wanted to put me on Ritalin, and my mother said no, which I’m really happy she didn’t. At the time, me being a kid, I wasn’t sure how to navigate those waters”
3/19 Ozzy Pays Tribute To Randy Rhoads
Ozzy Osbourne pays tribute to Randy Rhoads on the 43rd anniversary of the legendary guitarist’s death.
“Randy Rhoads was quite possibly the best composer & musician that I have ever met in my life,” writes Ozzy Osbourne. “He came into my life like a bolt of lightning and as such he was gone again. I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive to have not only met him but also I had the great honor of being able to work with him.”
Randy Rhoads
Ozzy Osbourne
Rhoads played on Osbourne’s “Blizzard Of Ozz” and “Diary Of A Madman“ albums but tragically died in a plane crash, when he was just 25 years old while on tour with Ozzy,
Prior to working with Ozzy, Rhodes was the co-founder and original guitarist for Quiet Riot.
He died in a plane crash while on tour with Ozzy in 1982.
April
4/11 Van’s Halen’s “Jump” Garners Over A Billion Streams
The song surpasses one-billions streams on Spotify. Released in December ’83 “Jump” was the lead single from Van Halen’s sixth studio album, “1984.”
It went to #1 on the. Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for five weeks.
Jump
Van Halen
“(Eddie) Van Halen told me that he copied the synth part from ‘Kiss On My List” and used it in ‘Jump’,” recalled Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates. “I don’t have a problem with that at all.”
May
5/1 Green Days Gets A Star
Green Day receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The band’s star is located at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard, near Amoeba Music.
“Green Day’s music has not only inspired generations but also served as the soundtrack to our lives,” offered Walk Of Fame producer Ana Martinez.
Green Day
5/27 Queen Receive Polar Honor
Queen are the recipients of the 2025 Polar Music Prize Laureates, along with Jazz musician Herbie Hancock and soprano/conductor Barbara Hannigan.
The Polar Music Prize ceremony takes place on May 27th in Stockholm at the Grand Hotel.
Celebrating excellence in music, the annual award is present to contemporary and Classical musicians.
Queen
June
6/9 Sly Stone Passes Away
The frontman, singer, songwriter and producer of Sly & The Family Stone dies in L.A. after battling lung disease. He was 82.
The band, who performed at the original Woodstock, are known for the hits “I Want To Take You Higher,” “Everyday People,”” and “Dance To The Music,” among others.
Sly Stone
6/11 Nirvana Reaches Two Billion
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video surpasses two billion views on YouTube.
Directed by Samuel Bayer, the video debuted in 1991 and played a key role in launching the band.
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana
Frontman Kurt Cobain described “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as an attempt to write “the ultimate pop song.” It sold over 13 million units to become one of the best-selling songs of all-time.
6/11 Beach Boys Brian Wilson Dies
As the co-founder of the Beach Boys, Wilson was a creative force developing the band’s early songs about the joys of surfing, cars and SoCal teen life.
From there he produced the all-time classics “God Only Knows,” “Caroline, No,” “California Girls,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Good Vibrations.”
Wilson was the mastermind behind “Pet Sounds,” regarded as one of the greatest albums of the ‘60s Rock era. He was 82.
Good Vibrations
Brian Wilson
After the Beach Boys signed with Capitol Records in 1962, Wilson became the first pop musician credited for writing, arranging, producing, and performing his own material.
July
7/5 Ozzy Osbourne Takes The Stage For The Last Time
Having expressed numerous times, his desire to perform a final concert with Black Sabbath, Ozzy plays a solo set before he is joined by the other founding Black Sabbath members (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward) for the first (and last time) in two decades.
Earlier, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Anthrax, and Halestorm are among the bands who also play during the Ozzy/Sabbath “Back To The Beginning”’ farewell concert” in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, U.K.
Pictured left to right: Bill Ward (drums), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Geezer Butler (bass) and Tony Iommi (guitar)
7/22 Ozzy Osbourne Is Gone
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love,” reads a family statement.Ozzy was a founding member of Black Sabbath, one of the first, if not the first, the first true Heavy Metal band, who after being fired from Sabbath, Ozzy embarked on an incredible solo career with platinum albums and a popular cable series – “The Osbournes.”
Ozzy Osbourne
August
8/4 Metallica Has Staying Power
Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album (aka “The Black Album”) is the fourth record to spend 800 weeks (over 15 years) on the Billboard 200. The album originally peaked at #1 on August 31st, 1991.
Only Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side Of The Moon,” (1973), Bob Marley And The Wailers “Legend” (1984) and Journey’s “Greatest Hits” (1988) have surpassed the 899-week mark.
Metallica and Pink Floyd are the only ones with studio albums that have reached 800 weeks. The Bob Marley and Journey entries were compilations.
Metallica aka The Black Album
September
9/1 Slipknot’s ‘Duality’ Surpasses A Billion
Slipknot’s “Duality” is their first song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
“Duality” was featured on Slipknot’s 2004 album “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses).
For the music video percussionist Shawn Crahan said the band “asked our real fans to be in the video and people came from all over.”
Duality
Slipknot
The music clip was shot in West Des Moines, IA at a fan’s house that was due for renovation and features the band performing inside the house surrounded by dozens of fans both inside and outside the house, which gets destroyed in the process as the fans crash through the windows and walls.
9/13 Jane’s Addiction Members Onstage Altercation
Frontman Perry Farrell assaults guitarist Dave Navarro during Jane’s Addiction concert at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA.
The incident happens late in the band’s set, near the end of the song “Ocean Size” (a track from ’88’s “Nothing’s Shocking”).
Farrell aggressively bumps shoulders with Navarro and gets in the guitarist’s face and swears at him. A confused Navarro asks what is going on before he stops playing and put sa hand up to Farrell’s chest.
As a result, the tour is cancelled. Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins file a suit with Farrall lodging a countersuit.
Dave Navarro & Perry Farrell
Jane’s Addiction
9/19 One Dead, Two Injured In Stabbing Outside Phish Concert
An argument takes place among several individuals, which escalates into a physical altercation. The suspect flees the scene on foot, but detectives manage to identify “all parties involved,” adding it appears “to be an isolated incident.”
We are deeply saddened by this and our hearts go out to all of those affected,” states the band.
Phish
9/20 Farm Aid Turns 40
That’s kind of sad because Farm Aid was initially seen as a short-term effort to help family farms. But forty years later, Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis has performances by Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews.
A fundraiser on the YouTube feed collected $80,000 before a chord is played.
Farm Aid
October
Def Leppard
10/9 Def Leppard On The Walk Of Fame
Def Leppard are honored with the 2,825th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
“Honored to share that we will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame,” states the band.
Ian Watkins
10/11 Former Lostprophets Singer Killed In Prison
48-year-old Ian Watkins was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offenses at British maximum-security prison when he had his throat slashed after inmates were unlocked from their cells.
Watkins’s attackers reportedly slashed the singer’s jugular, causing him to die from blood loss. Two men are arrested on suspicion of murder.
Ace Frehley
“I believe I’m going to be remembered as a straight shooter and a guy who stayed true to his craft and was respected by his peers,” Frehley said recently. “I brought happiness to a lot of people. I was always the funny guy in KISS. That’s how I would like to be remembered.”
10/16 Ace Frehley Dies
Founding KISS member Ace Frehley dies after being injured in a fall in September. He was 74.
KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons said: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable Rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy.”
Zgod, a major KISS fan, with Frehley
November
11/8 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductions
Soundgarden, The White Stripes and Bad Company are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the “Performer” category during the 40th annual induction ceremony at the Peacock Theater in L.A.
Soundgarden are supported by fellow Seattle musicians. However, Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers is absent due to health issues.
Soundgarden
December
12/6 Foo Fighters Score 15th #1
“Asking For A Friend” takes over the #1 spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart from Five Finger Death Punch (featuring Babymetal).
Only FFDP, Three Days Grace and Shinedown have had more Mainstream Rock #1s than Foo Fighters.
Asking For A Friend
Foo Fighters
The song was drummer Ilan Rubin’s first contribution to a Foo Fighters single.
With “Asking For A Friend,” Foo Fighters earn their first #1 since “The Glass,” which reached the top in April, ’24.
12/7 KISS Honored
KISS is recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C. The band has earned 30 gold albums, the most of any band from the U.S. They have also garnered 14 platinum albums.
President Trump calls KISS an “incredible Rock band.”
The Honors are held annually to recognize those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees, front row from left, Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford; back row from left, KISS members, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss.
12/10 Daltrey Knighted
The Who’s Roger Daltrey is awarded a knighthood by the Prince Of Wales during an investiture ceremony at the royal residence at Windsor Castle in Windsor, U.K.
The 81-year-old singer is honored for his services to charity – notably his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Daltrey launched the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concert series at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2000.
Roger Daltrey
12/13 “Kill Me Fast” Is The 20th #1 By Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace are only the second act in the forty-four-year history of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart to earn their 20th leader with “Kill Me Fast.”
Only Shinedown has logged more #1s (21).
“Kill Me Fast” is the band’s third #1 in a row, starting in January with “Mayday.”
Three Days Grace
Kill Me Fast
Three Days Grace vocalist Adam Gontier says the song is about letting go of someone who is already halfway out the door: “It’s about ripping the Band-Aid off … That moment when silence hurts more than the truth, and you’re begging for the cut just to stop the bleeding.”
###
The post Top 33 Stories Of 2025 appeared first on RockinTown.
New Posts (Home)
ChatBox
Popular Posts 
Game Zone
Top PodCasts
