Live Version

MEMORABLE LIVE PERFORMANCES: LINKIN PARK- WITH YOU AT ROCK AM RING 2026

Twenty five years ago at the Rock Am Ring festival in Germany, Linkin Park stole the show. They began their set that day with the song “With You” and in their own way, lured the thousands in attendance to turn their attention to the stage with the way they kicked it off. This 2001 performance became one of those of monumental significance.

Now in 2026, Linkin Park returned to Rock Am Ring as headliners and celebrated that significant moment in grand fashion by opening their most recent set the same way. The intro that DJ Joe Hahn starts creates a wave of excitement then the rest of the band runs on stage and singer Emily Armstrong hits her scream into gear just like Chester Bennington did in 2001. To pay homage to the night as well, even her jacket resembled that of Chester’s.

“With You” is a gem in the bands catalog. It’s great they brought it into their new live sets. The rest of the setlist for the show is great. Enjoy this very memorable set!

Linkin Park- With You: Live At Rock Am Ring 2026:

Linkin Park- With You: Live At Rock Am Ring 2001:

GUITAR SOLOS: METALLICA- ALL NIGHTMARE LONG

Back in 2008, Metallica released their “return to form album, Death Magnetic. This album marked a return to their “thrashier” days as well as more epic notes. Across the ten songs and seventy five minutes, there’s always been one song that from day one, has had my attention. Ever since I heard Metallica’s “All Nightmare Long, I’ve been mildly obsessed with it. Even the music video, directed by, RoboShodo, is stellar.

“All Nightmare Long” is an absolute banger of a song as well as one of my all time favorite Metallica songs. There’s heavy intensity of this song feels like it could have come out on …And Justice For All. In a fun way too there’s a little bit of a Slayer homage to the intro part. James Hetfield sounds masterful on this song both lyrically and vocally. Lars and Robert really gel on this song too, as they hit endless thrash and groove. The real treat though is Kirk Hammett. There’s not one but TWO absolutely killer guitar solos on “All Nightmare Long.” Personally, I don’t know what one is best, though I tend to gravitate toward the second one. This is one of those songs too, that needs to be played live a lot more by Metallica.

If it’s been a minute since you’ve listened to Death Magnetic, you should fix that. It’s quite the album. Plus right smack dab in the middle is this absolute masterpiece of a Metallica song! Enjoy “All Nightmare Long.”

Metallica- All Nightmare Long (Live):

Metallica- All Nightmare Long (Music Video):

BEST GUITAR SOLOS: JANE’S ADDICTION- THREE DAYS

Jane’s Addiction was one of the most influential and volatile bands of all time. Their undeniable influence is still heard in bands today. The enigmatic foursome created music that was groundbreaking and genre defining. In a way alternative music wouldn’t be what it is without Jane’s Addiction.

The bands second album, Ritual De Lo Habitual is highly regarded as a masterpiece and a classic for many great reasons. While the album spawned two massive radio hits in “Stop” and “Been Caught Stealing,” it’s the albums deeper tracks that really solidified this as a groundbreaking album. In particular the song “Three Days.” The subject matter of the song deals greatly with addiction and the mortality of it, the music is what truly makes this song so special. Rather than rely on making a hard rock song, the band created an epic that is almost eleven minutes long. Surprisingly, “Three Days” was released as the second single from the album. The guitar work on this song by Dave Navarro reaches near stratospheric heights. The layers and textures Dave creates and plays with stretches the bounds of unpredictability and artistry. The guitar solo on “Three Days” is one of those that is as intriguing as it is intense. The mood and vibe it gives off matches perfectly with the lyrics and vocals. Then you add in the rhythm portion and it all clicks on levels untouched since. Dave Navarro is a pioneer of alternative rock guitar and rightfully so!

Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Album Version):

Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Live Version):

MEMORABLE TV PERFORMANCES: METALLICA 1989 GRAMMY’S

In 1989, Metallica was just about to become a household name. And Justice For All, the bands fourth album, was truly was a monumental album for heavy music. There is no denying the impact this album has had over the years. The songs are beyond classics and the influence has only grown.

We all know what happened at the Grammy Awards in that year with Jethro Tull beating out Metallica for the first Heavy Metal Grammy. While they didn’t win that, they did however perform that night and won the audience over that was in attendance as well as watching at home.

Metallica have been on top of the world since this point and with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Take a moment to enjoy this classic and memorable TV performance of “One” by Metallica.

Metallica- One (Live At The Grammy’s 1989):

B SIDES: THE SMASHING PUMPKINS- STELLAR

The Smashing Pumpkins have always been a prolific band in terms of albums, live shows and songs. The songwriting and arrangements are some of the best ever. Billy Corgan has written so many great songs, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them all.

Recently, I was revisiting the Pumpkins album, Zeitgeist. I distinctly remember when this album came out. It was one of those moments where one of your favorite bands return. Zeitgeist is a polarizing album with songs that now, almost twenty years later, ring more true than ever. There is a particular song though on this record that has always been a favorite of mine. And that song is “Stellar.”

“Stellar” is an absolute gem. There are shades of early Pumpkins on this song but, it doesn’t rely on that to shine. Clocking in at six and a half minutes, “Stellar” shoots you to the stars. The “big rock” sound that the albums production has too, showcases this song. The shoegaze vibe mixed with a bit of new wave and a dose of seventies era pop a la Cheap Trick is brilliant.

If you were lucky enough to see The Smashing Pumpkins 2008 on their European tour, there’s a good chance you might have heard this wonderful song. The live band during this run was fun to watch and hear. At the time of the release as well, if you bought the gray edition of Zeitgeist, which was a Best Buy exclusive, “Stellar” was found on this version along with “Ma Belle” and “Death From Above.” Zeitgeist is a hard album to find but if you find it in the wild, buy it, it’s so worth it.

Now enjoy these live versions of “Stellar.”

The Smashing Pumpkins- Stellar:

Billy Corgan (Solo)- Stellar:

DEEP CUTS: NINE INCH NAILS- IN TWO

Nine Inch Nails are one of those bands that truly have masterful deep cuts. You can go through each album and find premium choice cuts all throughout. Hesitation Marks is a great example of a Nine Inch Nails album with amazing deep cuts. I’ve recently been diving deeper into this record and it’s been quite the trip. The latter half of the album contains my favorite song off the record in “Various Methods Of Escape” but, that’s not the song that has been compelled to write this. The song that peaked my thought process on this was “In Two.” What a song! The way the quiet synth layers open the song, then sway into the drum loops and pulsating bass mixed with the delicate piano is slightly hypnotic. Then you add in the vocals which compliment all the dynamic parts so perfectly. The lyrics match the music in the best way possible. It’s also noteworthy to mention that Adrien Belew of King Crimson and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac play guitar on this song. One other stupendous aspect of “In Two” is how the ending flows so well into “While I’m Still Here.” Seriously, you can’t go wrong with Hesitation Marks!

Nine Inch Nails- In Two (Album Version):

Nine Inch Nails- In Two (Live Version):

MEMORABLE LIVE PERFORMANCES: ALICE IN CHAINS WITH JAMES HETFIELD

The year is 2006 and Alice In Chains have begun their triumphant return. Getting out there and bringing the songs we all know and love back to life was one of those things that the universe got right. When this all started going again, you could tell that the fans were really glad to have Alice back. Granted the late Layne Staley was not a part of this but, William DuVall has truly shown he is up for the job and does a stellar job. During Alice In Chains summer festival run in Europe back in 2006, the band welcomed a very special guest to join them on stage for “Would?” That guest was the one and only James Hetfield of Metallica. This version of “Would?” is fantastic and will give you chills for sure. I still hope for the day we can get a Metallica and Alice In Chains tour! Can you imagine the how awesome that would be? I sure can! Enjoy this really memorable performance!!

Alice In Chains w/ James Hetfield- “Would?”:

ALTERNATE VERSIONS: STONE TEMPLE PILOTS- ATLANTA

Today would’ve been Scott Weiland’s 58th birthday. Scott was one of those talents that truly had a gift of song. The way he wrote lyrics, conjuring sweet melodies, and his performances, there was no denying Scott was one of the best. With it being Scott’s birthday, why not highlight one of my all time favorite Stone Temple Pilots songs, “Atlanta.” This song is absolutely divine. There’s moments throughout the song that makes it feel like The Doors are a part of the song. And I do LOVE The Doors. I still remember the first time I heard this song when I bought the CD and got it home. I wound up putting “Atlanta” on repeat for at least a good hour. It’s also one of the best ending the night songs as you pull into the garage or parking spot. STP has always had a knack for writing great songs with a vibe. “Atlanta” is a great example of that! Happy Birthday Scott!

Atlanta (Through The Eyes/Ears Of Robert, Dean and Eric):

Atlanta (Live On Craig Kilborn):

Atlanta (Acoustic Version):

Atlanta (Album Version):

ALTERNATE VERSIONS: INCUBUS- SICK SAD LITTLE WORLD (LIVE)

I’m not sure where or how Incubus popped in my head the other day. It was definitely out of nowhere and then suddenly I wound up with their song “Sick Sad Little World” playing in my head on repeat. I’ve always enjoyed this song. In fact I’d dare say it’s one of the best songs in the Incubus catalog. So, as it always tends to happen, I went down the rabbit hole of Incubus and remembered their captivating performance at Red Rocks in Colorado that happened during the A Crow Left Of The Murder tour cycle. This version of “Sick Sad Little World” is otherworldly and epic! The song is already epic by nature but with the extended version and added live goodies, it just makes the song so much better! Here’s to hoping Incubus can at least get back to this level on their upcoming new album!

Incubus- Sick Sad Little World (Live At Red Rocks / 2004):

Deep Cuts: Bush- Alien

Ever since Bush released their new album, The Art Of Survival back in October, I’ve been delving back into their catalog. If you haven’t heard their new album, I recommend it a lot! It’s quite good. It picks up where their previous album, The Kingdom left off. While going back through the albums, I remembered one song that I fell in love with many years ago when I was listening to Sixteen Stone. That song would be “Alien.” This deep cut is tremendous. It’s the song that should’ve ended Sixteen Stone, in my opinion. When you get to this song in order of the album, there is something about it that sort of encapsulates the themes of the record. Lyrically it can be taken in different ways but, it always felt like a song that was rooted in a sense of pain and loneliness. Gavin’s voice on the track carry the emotions in an interesting sway with the music. It feels epic while at the same time a mission statement of a song. “Alien” is one of the songs in Bush’s catalog that needs to be a part of their set list. Take a few moments to delve into this one!

Bush- Alien (Album Version):

Bush- Alien (Live):