Somewhere right now a kid is sitting on a bedroom floor with a copy of 2112, trying to work out what the Temple of Syrinx is. Fifty years on, it’s heading for the biggest screen on earth. The rock news this week was all about next year: Rush booked the Sphere, Ozzfest came back, and 2027 went on sale before 2026 is even done. Last Friday the legends were guarding what they built. This week they are pre-selling the future.
Rush Book the Sphere to Play 2112 and Moving Pictures in Full
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are taking Rush into the Las Vegas Sphere for five nights next May (21, 23, 26, 28 and 30), with Anika Nilles on drums and Loren Gold on keys. The residency, “Elevate From the Norm,” features 2112 and Moving Pictures played front to back. Artist presale is November 11, general sale November 13. Lee’s verdict: “We are so effin’ excited.”
ZRock take: On Monday we argued the album is the product. Rush agree: two whole records, no hits medley, no apologies.
Sources: Consequence, Stereogum, Louder
Ozzfest Returns in 2027 With Sharon Osbourne Curating
Ozzfest is back next year with three dates: the National Bowl in Milton Keynes on July 10, Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino on September 11, and Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on September 18. Sharon Osbourne is curating, no bands have been named yet, and the first tickets went on sale this morning. She called the festival “an important part of Ozzy‘s legacy.”
ZRock take: Without Ozzy, this has to be more than a memorial jukebox. Book the heavy newcomers he’d have championed and it becomes a real tribute.
Sources: Consequence, NME, Louder
Get Well Soon, Ian Gillan: Deep Purple Postpone the Rest of Their 2026 Tour
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan needed urgent hospital care in Leipzig on October 31, and the band called off shows in Leipzig and Hamburg. On November 2 they postponed the rest of the 2026 tour, 21 dates across Europe, the UK and Latin America, until further notice. Gillan described it as a medical problem; no further details have been shared.
ZRock take: Only one thing matters here, and it is Gillan’s health. Hold onto those tickets and send him some love.
Pink Floyd’s Animals Turns 50 With Unreleased Rarities and a 1977 Live Show
Pink Floyd are marking half a century of Animals with “Animals 50,” out January 22 with a 3-LP, 5-CD deluxe box at the top end. The extras include early versions of “Sheep” and “Dogs,” an unheard Roger Waters song called “Young Nicholas Jon,” and a full May 9, 1977 concert from the Oakland Coliseum Arena.
ZRock take: Animals is the Floyd album fans defend at 2am. If that Oakland tape is half as nasty as the record, this is the reissue of the winter.
Sources: Consequence, Louder
Cage the Elephant Turn Up the Guitars on New Album Dying in Reverse
Cage the Elephant have announced their seventh album, Dying in Reverse, due February 5, 2027 on Big Loud Rock, and shared the guitar-heavy single “Make It Easy.” The band have 2027 shows lined up in the UK, Europe and South America, with North American dates still to come.
ZRock take: While the legends sell the past, Cage are betting on fuzz. That’s how the new class earns its seat.
Sources: Consequence, NME
Pearl Jam Are Still Hunting for a Drummer
More than a year after Matt Cameron stepped away, Pearl Jam still have no permanent drummer. Jeff Ament told Under the Radar the search goes on and the band want to play shows next year, with Abe Laboriel Jr. having filled in at Ohana in September. In Ament’s words: “We’re not in any massive rush.”
ZRock take: That is one of the hardest stools in rock to fill. Steady hands or a wild card?
Sources: Ultimate Classic Rock, Stereogum
Your Turn
Rush at the Sphere, Ozzfest reborn, or Animals in a box: which one gets your money first? And who should be Pearl Jam’s next drummer?
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