U2 returned to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin on September 25th to mark 50 years since the band’s formation. The group performed for 1,000 students and staff at the same schoolyard where they first played together. It was at Mount Temple in September 1976 that Larry Mullen Jr. posted a handwritten note reading, “Drummer Seeks Musicians to Form Band.” The setlist included their first-ever single, “Out of Control,” along with classics “I Will Follow,” “Beautiful Day,” and “With Or Without You.” The band also debuted “Silencio,” the lead single from their upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz. During “One,” 32 string musicians from Ireland’s Music Generation program joined the stage. Carnaval De Luz, their first original album since 2017, arrives November 13th and features Dolly Parton’s final vocal performance. Source
Metallica have added a new leg of North American stadium dates to their ongoing M72 World Tour. The run kicks off May 8th in Vancouver and includes stops in San Diego, El Paso, San Antonio, Fayetteville, Kansas City, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Madison, Cleveland, and Salt Lake City. Limp Bizkit and Avatar will provide support. The 2027 dates follow the band’s “Life Burns Faster” Las Vegas Sphere residency, running October 2026 through March 2027. Unlike previous M72 dates featuring back-to-back “No Repeat Weekends,” each 2027 city will host a single show. Metallica will also celebrate the Mohegan Sun Arena’s 25th anniversary with two Connecticut shows on November 19th and 21st. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. Source
Chuck Varga, a founding member of costumed heavy metal band GWAR, has died following a cancer battle. He was 68. GWAR bassist Casey Orr, who performs as Beefcake the Mighty, announced the death Friday on Facebook. “He was one of a kind. As an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and a gentleman,” Orr wrote, noting Varga died peacefully beside his wife, Bambi. Born in 1958, Varga studied at Virginia Commonwealth University and co-founded Slave Pit Studios in Richmond, Virginia. He created and portrayed GWAR’s Sexecutioner character beginning in 1985, leaving the band in 1997 before retiring from performing in 2021. In June, GWAR launched a fundraiser to help cover his mounting medical costs. “Chuck Varga’s contributions to the GWAR and Slave Pit collective are enormous,” said Bob Gorman. Source