GoneTrending

After a year long wait, Outlander only recently premiered Season 7 Part 2, in which Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser will go home and find that it’s not so sweet. Eighth season filming has been completed, and the Outlander: Blood Of My Blood spin off (in which Diana Gabaldon’s bodice-ripping universe franchise focuses upon Claire and Jamie’s parents getting it on) hasn’t received a Starz premiere date, but it’s coming. What else might be coming?

Once upon a time (back during the fourth season), a spin off about Lord John Grey (David Berry) was in the works at Starz but has since fallen off the radar. Deadline broached the subject with Berry, whose character keeps rocking that wig in upcoming episodes. The actor noted that he had previously “signed a contract to do a series,” and then “ultimately, at the time, it was decided that that wasn’t the right fit, or wasn’t the right thing for them.” Still, he notes, “I was prepared to do it, and I’m still prepared to do it.” Berry doesn’t spill too many of the inner workings of the prior decision, but his followup remarks suggest that Starz stopped being interested in a free-standing Grey story, and Outlander showrunners feel differently:

“Matt [B. Roberts] and Maril [Davis], executive producers on Outlander, have also expressed a lot of interest in doing it. So I guess it really depends on finding a network for it and audience interest in moving forward and doing a spin-off. But definitely, it was something that was on the cards at one point. The fact that it didn’t go ahead was very disappointing at the time. But whether or not it will go ahead again, that’s really in the hands of the audiences, and whether or not there is still an interest in seeing more from this character.”

In the words, no definitive answer exists, but it sounds like Starz hung up that spin off dream, although you never know, Netflix has been known to pick up those heavy-fanbase balls and run with them. The series still (probably) needs to finish up with Grey in a feasible place for a further story, and Starz hasn’t revealed an eighth season release date, which could very well be a year from now. Fingers crossed, and if fans want more Lord John Grey, they’d better make some noise for him.

(Via Deadline)

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week, we got new music from Good Morning, Father John Misty, Hovvdy, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Father John Misty – Mahashmashana

The title for Father John Misty’s sixth album is an anglicization of the Sanskrit word mahāśmaśāna, which translates to “large burial ground.” It’s shorthand for where Josh Tillman has taken his music on this record. He’s back in his existentialist realm, relinquishing the flashy Old Hollywood horns of Chloë And The Next 20th Century and reviving the epic philosophizing of Pure Comedy. If anything, though, Mahashmashana is a clinic in exquisite songwriting.

Hovvdy – Live At Julie’s

Hovvdy’s self-titled double album is one of the best records of 2024, and just before the year comes to an end, the Texas duo have shared an EP that reimagines four of its tracks. Here, Will Taylor and Charlie Martin sit down and play some songs; it’s a simple concept, but it works. Hovvdy’s music has always felt lived-in and inviting, and Live At Julie’s is a compact distillation of those essential traits.

Horsegirl – “2468”

When Horsegirl released their debut album, Versions Of Modern Performance, in 2022, they were fresh out of high school, headed to NYU to start their collegiate careers. But college hasn’t gotten in the way of making music. The Chicago trio — comprising Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece — put their own spin on Sonic Youth-esque alt-rock with the help of Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley themselves. For its follow-up, Phonetics On And On, produced by indie rocker Cate Le Bon, Horsegirl take their music in a wildly different direction. Lead single “2468,” for instance, mines the outré arrangements of The Velvet Underground and the gleeful discord of The Raincoats; its acoustic-led jaunt and chugging train lay the groundwork for something unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Moses Sumney & ANOHNI – “Is It Cold In The Water?”

One of the best songs from SOPHIE’s 2018 album, Oil Of Every Person’s Un-Insides, is the stark, drumless ballad “Is It Cold In The Water?” For TRANƧA, Red Hot’s 46-song project celebrating trans and non-binary artists, Moses Sumney and ANOHNI share their own spin on it. Their two voices, each powerful and majestic in its own way, sound incredible together.

Franz Ferdinand – “Night Or Day”

The last album Franz Ferdinand released, Hits To The Head, compiled some of their most beloved material in a greatest hits collection. While such a compilation all but mints the “legacy” in “legacy act,” the blog-rock staples have kept trucking with The Human Fear. It functions similarly to how Hits To The Head did, like an exhibitionist retrospective through their various eras and sounds. For instance, the latest preview, “Night Or Day,” has the stomp of their 2004 self-titled with the piano stabs of 2013’s Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. Holding it all together is Alex Kapranos’ opulent voice.

Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More

Somehow, Kim Deal has never made a solo album until now. Known for her work in groups like The Breeders, Pixies, and Amps, Deal arrives with the first full-length under her own name on Nobody Loves You More. From the noisy highlight “Big Ben Beat” to the swinging swoon of “Summerland,” the influential alt-rock songwriter confirms something we’ve always known: Kim is a big deal.

Short Fictions – “This Is The Day”

Pittsburgh emo outfit Short Fictions have returned with their first release since last year’s excellent Oblivion Will Own Me And Death Alone Will Love Me (Void Filler). It’s a cover of The The’s 1983 single “This Is The Day.” As a self-imposed challenge, Sam Treber plays every instrument you hear on the recording. It may be a random one-off single, but new music from Short Fictions is welcome any time.

Good Morning – “Soft Rock Band”

Australian indie rock duo Good Morning are about to say good night. After releasing this year’s aptly titled Good Morning Seven, and on the cusp of their eighth record, The Accident, Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons are putting their band on pause. For what is likely their final record, Blair and Parsons go out on a high note. Lead single and closing track “Soft Rock Band” is an eight-minute Odyssey that chronicles its members’ ups and downs throughout their music careers. “I might have seen it all, but there’s still so much more to go,” goes its refrain. If Good Morning does come to an end, then it’s a bittersweet final act.

The Weather Station – “Window”

Tamara Lindeman is among the most gifted songwriters we have right now. Taken from the forthcoming Weather Station album, Humanhood, “Window” serves as another reminder. The Toronto musician’s vocals are as delicate as they are forceful, as transportive as the escapist tale she sings of. Even from the singles alone, Humanhood is an easy shoo-in for one of 2025’s early highlights.

King Hannah – “Blue Christmas”

Back in May, Liverpool duo King Hannah released their stirring sophomore album, Big Swimmer. Now, however, it’s time to drop all the holiday songs. Their acoustic guitar-and-vocals cover of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas” replaces the loneliness of the original with the warmth of cozying up by the fireplace with a loved one. ‘Tis the season.

After much ado, the new Wicked movie has debuted in theaters, and so far, it’s a hit. Among the movie’s fans is Ariana Grande’s grandmother Marjorie Grande, better known as Nonna, as seen in an adorable new video shared by Grande on Instagram.

The video, featuring part of Grande singing “Popular,” shows Nonna smiling wide as she holds Grande’s hand and has her eyes fixed on the screen.

Grande’s mother Joan commented on the post, “Oh my OZ, I was there and I am still crying watching this!!”

Sharing a photo of herself and Nonna on her Instagram Story, Grande also wrote, “flew to boca for a day to watch with Nonna at the movie theater i grew up going to every weekend, Cinemark 20 in Boca.” In another Story, she added, “thrilled to report that when the sugar glider had her drum solo nonna exclaimed loudly ‘oh i LOVE that.’”

Nonna, of course, has long been a favorite figure among Grande fans. She even got a feature credit on the Eternal Sunshine song “Ordinary Things,” as she provided a spoken outro on the track. The tune actually put Nonna in the history books: When it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Nonna, at 98 years of age, became the senior-most artist to ever appear on the chart.

Many of the biggest names in hardcore and indie are playing the UK-based Outbreak Fest next year. The lineup for the 2025 edition of the festival includes headliners Knocked Loose (who released one of the best albums of 2024), Alex G, and Slowdive, as well as Danny Brown, Deafheaven, Drug Church, Foxing, God’s Hate, Gouge Away, Militarie Gun, Speed, Sunny Day Real Estate, They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, and Tigers Jaw.

Outbreak Fest 2025 takes place at BEC Arena in Manchester, England, on June 14 and 15, 2025 (the lineup for a London event on June 13, which is described as “a one-day, multi-stage festival in the city centre,” is coming soon). Tickets go on sale on Friday, but you can sign up for the pre-sale now. Find out more info here.

Below, you can check out the full lineup and poster for Outbreak Fest 2025.

Outbreak 2025 Fest Lineup

Knocked Loose
Alex G
Slowdive
Danny Brown
Denzel Curry
Deafheaven
Drug Church
Feeble Little Horse
Fleshwater
Foxing
God’s Hate
Gouge Away
Have A Nice Life
Impunity
Ikhras
Jesus Piece
Julie
Kumo 99
Long Goodbye
Maruja
Militarie Gun
Model/Actriz
Momma
Pain Of Truth
Rocket
Speed
Splitknuckle
Spy
Sunami
Sunny Day Real Estate
Superheaven
They Are Gutting A Body Of Water
Tigers Jaw

Outbreak 2025 Fest Poster

A new animated holiday movie, That Christmas starring Brian Cox, is set to hit Netflix on December 4 (find the trailer below, in case you missed it). This summer, it was announced that Ed Sheeran would contribute a new song, called “Under The Tree,” to the film, and that song is out now.

Sheeran said back when the song was announced:

“I find since having kids, there’s a real lack of great animated children’s Christmas movies, so I thought this was such an amazing thing to make and put into the world. The scene that we wrote this song for is so heartbreaking, but so real for many people at Christmas spending it without the ones they love, for so many reasons. I got to work with my older brother on this which is such a rarity and a gift to work so closely with my only sibling, it felt so good to create something my children would watch, with their uncle, based in the country they live in. I find it mad that there isn’t more animated Christmas films for kids, but this is going to become a holiday staple, at least in our household.”

This isn’t Sheeran’s first holiday tune: In 2021, he and Elton John teamed up for “Merry Christmas.” Sheeran couldn’t believe that seemingly obvious title wasn’t already taken by another song, as he explained, “We write it and I title it ‘Merry Christmas,’ and I’m like, ‘We’re going to have to change that title because there’s probably loads of songs called ‘Merry Christmas.’ I went on Spotify and I typed in ‘Merry Christmas’: nothing. There’s ‘Merry Christmas, Everyone,’ there’s ‘Happy Xmas,’ there’s ‘Merry Xmas,’ there’s ‘War Is Over.’ There was not a song called ‘Merry Christmas.’ And then I went on YouTube and checked it out and it baffled me.”

Check out the “Under The Tree” video above.

It’s something everyone from Wiz Khalifa to Bebe Rexha to Adele to Sexyy Red has unfortunately had to deal with: fans throwing objects at them during concerts. The latest victim was Zach Bryan, who reprimanded someone in the audience at a recent show in Tacoma, Washington.

In a video posted to Country Central, Bryan stopped mid-song when an unidentified object was hurled in his direction. “Who threw this? Who was it? Does anyone know?” he asked the Tacoma Dome audience. “Don’t throw sh*t at concerts, huh? And if you guys do know who threw it, you need to get ’em outta here, if we ever find out who did it.”

You can watch the incident here.

Bryan, who was nominated for 21 awards at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, recently hinted that he might quit touring for good. “After not being home for a year and a half I drove out to my mother’s gravestone in the dead of night a few days back on familiar Oklahoma roads and I came to realize just like in the past, that she never would call me again,” he wrote on Instagram. “Told her I quit touring because I got accepted to get my masters in Paris next year.”

Wicked is on its way to becoming a major hit, if early box office numbers are any indication. Given the Broadway origins of Wicked, there’s strong source material at play here, but that doesn’t mean the folks behind the movie were against considering significant changes. Among the ideas was a more hip-hop-leaning version of “Popular,” which Ariana Grande was firmly against.

In a new Los Angeles Times oral history, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz explains:

“In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let’s refresh the rhythm. Let’s, maybe, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a little bit. Ariana said, ‘Absolutely not, don’t do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.’”

Grande wasn’t closed-minded about any sort of change, though, as Schwartz also said, “I had this idea for a new vocal ending. Ariana was a little hesitant about it, but I told her that if I had thought of it for the original show, this is how it would have been. Once she was reassured that this new bit of music was coming out of character, she was on board.”

Read the full feature here.

Over the weekend, “Heatstroke” singer Khalid was outed by an ex-boyfriend, aspiring singer Hugo D Almonte. But having his sexuality forcibly revealed online was the least upsetting thing in Khalid’s eyes.

Around the same time, Khalid faced several damning accusations including illicit drug use, domestic abuse, and seeking about sex workers to pose as his romantic interest. Today (November 25), Khalid posted a video (viewable here) to X (formerly Twitter) to address the allegations.

“I just wanted to come on and address some things so we can leave it in the past,” he said. “I know I don’t have to, but I feel like it is important for me to speak my side of the situation.”

Khalid first tackled the allegations that he used “pink cocaine,” saying: “I’ve never done cocaine a day in my life. I don’t place myself in those scenarios. I’m not in those surroundings. I [do] smoke week and I drink [alcohol] a little bit. But I’ve never done cocaine a day in my life. For real.”

He then quickly shut down rumors that he hired sex workers or paid people to date him after users online discovered his ex’s OnlyFans account.

Khalid said he ultimately decided to response to the claims because it is “a little triggering seeing the few comments” that “paint him as a manipulative abuser.”

Before the video ended, Khalid addressed the domestic abuse allegations, saying: “It’s triggering because it was the other way around and that’s what hurts the most.”

Hugo D Almonte has not yet replied to Khalid’s statement.

My favorite annual holiday tradition is watching The Last Waltz during the Thanksgiving season. Martin Scorsese’s 1978 concert film is so ingrained in my late November routine that I have come to view the musicians as family members. A motley crew of lovable uncles resplendent in snappy suits and majestic hats. That’s my Last Waltz experience.

Like all great films, there is nothing you would possibly change about The Last Waltz. Even its apparent faults feel like strengths. Neil Young’s digitally removed cocaine booger? Beautiful! Eric Clapton’s broken guitar strap? Elegant! Van Morrison’s satin purple back side? A work of art!

However, I am going to attempt the impossible anyway. Consider it a thought experiment: What if you could invite more musicians to The Band’s final concert at Winterland in San Francisco in 1976? It’s this very thought experiment that I am executing in this column. Before you watch The Last Waltz this year, let’s ponder an alternate-dimension version of The Last Waltz. After all, it makes no difference, right? Let’s go up on cripple creek to a different timeline! We shall be released from current reality!

Here are 20 artists who should have been invited to The Last Waltz.

20. Todd Rundgren

The bar for clearance on this list is what I’ll call “The Neil Diamond ‘Mendoza’ Line.” By which I mean this: Does this person make more or less sense than Neil Diamond appearing at The Last Waltz? If you’ll recall, Robbie Robertson insisted on including Neil — who otherwise had zero connection to the other performers on the bill — because he represented the classic Tin Pan Alley songwriting tradition. And Robbie felt that was part of The Band’s musical tapestry. At least that was the official justification, which didn’t convince people like Levon Helm. (“Why don’t we just get Doc Pomus?” was his reply.) The actual reason was likely related to Robbie producing Neil’s album Beautiful Noise, which came out five months before The Last Waltz concert in June 1976. (Garth Hudson also plays organ on the record.) The song Neil performed at TLW, “Dry Your Eyes,” was also co-written by Robertson, who no doubt appreciated those sweet Diamond-encrusted royalties upon the release of the album and film.

(To be clear: I am not saying Neil Diamond shouldn’t be in The Last Waltz. Like all right-thinking Americans I greatly enjoy Hot August Night and Neil’s fit at The Last Waltz — red shirt, power blue suit, tinted shades — is objectively suave and electric.)

At first glance, Todd Rundgren might make even less sense that Neil Diamond. In the late seventies, he was recording and touring a lot with his band Utopia, and he was about to put out his 1977 prog-rock opus Ra supported by an elaborate stage show centered on a 22-foot-tall pyramid and golden sphinx. Not exactly “rootsy” music.

Todd, however, had two important connections to The Band: 1) He was the recording engineer and sort-of producer for their third album, 1970’s Stage Fright; 2) He recorded a faithful cover of the mid-sixties Bob Dylan deep cut “Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine” for his appropriately titled 1976 LP, Faithful.

The setlist writes itself: Todd and The Band would have killed that one at The Last Waltz, with or without the 22-foot-tall pyramid.

19. Roger Waters

Forget what I said about “The Neil Diamond ‘Mendoza’ Line.” I’m suspending that rule for this entry. Roger Waters obviously makes no sense at The Last Waltz, particularly the circa-1976, pre-Animals Waters marinating in extreme misanthropy and even more extreme Dark Side Of The Moon-related riches. Roger Waters in this era makes Van Morrison look like Bobby McFerrin.

NEVERTHELESS, there is a different era of Roger Waters who executed the least likely reunion of Last Waltz luminaries. I refer to the 1990 concert album The Wall – Live In Berlin, which is remembered for the version of “Comfortably Numb” featuring Van Morrison and (if you listen very closely) Levon Helm and Rick Danko. This rendition was made famous by Martin Scorsese after he put it in The Departed, and then subsequently used again (via Christopher Moltisanti’s CD copy The Departed soundtrack) in a Sopranos episode.

I understand that to justify this entry I am essentially asking to invite a version of Roger Waters who exists 14 years after the concert takes place. But at least we’re only at No. 19. I promise my logic will be more, ahem, logical moving forward.

18. Allen Toussaint

You know you’re talking to a Band snob when you bring up The Last Waltz and the person scoffs and says snottily, “Yeah, but Rock Of Ages is better.” This person isn’t necessarily wrong, by the way. The 1972 double record documents their year-ending run of shows at New York City’s Academy Of Music in December 1971, when they were much closer to their musical peak than they were in 1976. A highlight of the album are the horn parts composed by the great New Orleans songwriter, musician and arranger Allen Toussaint. Inviting him to The Last Waltz would have finally settled the Rock Of Ages debate once and for all.

17. Bonnie Raitt

Her connection to The Band is nebulous. The most tangible evidence I could find is this photo of Bonnie hanging out backstage with Rick Danko the year after The Last Waltz. (Richard Manuel also appeared on Raitt’s 1982 album Green Light.) However, as a blues-loving slide guitarist who partied at The Roxy with the cream of L.A. musicians in the 1970s, she at least feels Band-adjacent. Also: It’s fair to say that the female representation at The Last Waltz was scant at best, and Bonnie would have lent a nice feminine touch to, say, “Ophelia.”

16. Gordon Lightfoot

His connection to The Band? He’s Canadian. The Band is (mostly) Canadian, Neil Young is Canadian, Joni Mitchell is Canadian, and then there’s Gordon Lightfoot, the only face on Canada’s folk-rock Mt. Rushmore not at The Last Waltz. Forget about the “Tin Pan Alley tradition” — what about hockey and maple syrup, you hosers?!

Besides, can you imagine how epic a Lightfoot + The Band version of “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” would be? That’s worth replacing at least one Eric Clapton song, no?

15. John Hammond

When I was brainstorming artists for this list, my mind briefly flashed on Bobby Charles, the great singer-songwriter who left New Orleans for Woodstock in the early seventies and collaborated with four-fifths of The Band (sans Robertson) on his cult classic 1972 self-titled debut. Then I remembered that Charles actually was at The Last Waltz, it’s just that the cameras were literally turned off when he performed “Down South In New Orleans.”

Then I started thinking about equally non-famous friends of The Band, and I remembered John Hammond, the folk-bluesman whose 1965 LP So Many Roads features Robertson, Helm, and Hudson along with hot-shot guitarist Michael Bloomfield, who actually volunteered to play piano after hearing Robertson play. While the album isn’t widely known today, it was a precursor to Dylan’s pioneering rock LP Highway 61 Revisited as well as The Band’s own albums.

Give Hammond his flowers! He also does a cool version of “Who Do You Love”!

14. Marvin Gaye

One month before The Last Waltz concert was staged, Marvin was the London Palladium recording the shows that later became 1977’s Live At The London Palladium, one of the horniest concert albums ever made. Am I saying that The Last Waltz could stand to be a little hornier? Yes, I am saying that. The sexual allure of Dr. John can only take you so far.

Also: He popularized “Don’t Do It” — originally known as “Baby Don’t You Do It” — back in 1964. Marvin Gaye + The Band on “Don’t Do It” is something that could cure most diseases.

13. Roger McGuinn

Not long before The Last Waltz, he was riding shotgun with Bob Dylan on The Rolling Thunder Revue. I’m sure he was crashing hard when this concert was taking place. I think he could have brought some of the wild-eyed and shout-y Rolling Thunder energy to The Last Waltz. Including McGuinn would also recognize that The Band usurped The Byrds as the top Dylan-adjacent rock group, though Bob clearly still had love for both bands.

12. Joan Baez

Again: The female representation at The Last Waltz was scant at best. Joan also recorded a hit version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” in 1971. Not that we would let her sing it instead of Levon, who did the best ever version of the song at The Last Waltz and then never sang it again.

11. Mickey Jones

He’s the least famous person I’ve mentioned so far. And yet he is possibly the closest to The Band in terms of iconic moments in their history. This is the guy who filled in for Levon Helm after he temporarily quit The Hawks during Bob Dylan’s 1965-66 world tour, aka “the tour where everybody booed the electric set.” That’s Mickey you hear punch a hole in his kick drum (metaphorically) after Bob says “Play fucking loud!” on the famous “Royal Albert Hall” bootleg version of “Like A Rolling Stone.” He truly clobbered his kit with style and grace under very trying circumstances. He fought and survived the war. For that, he should have been at The Last Waltz.

10. Dolly Parton

I have ulterior motives for this one. Obviously, Dolly is a legend and she was in her creative prime in the mid-seventies, and The Last Waltz generally (along with more women) could use more country music representation. But I also want to get Emmylou Harris into the proper concert, and not just in the ancillary (though admittedly great) “Evangeline” sequence. On her 1976 album All I Can Do, Dolly covered “Boulder To Birmingham,” from Emmylou’s 1975 LP, Pieces Of The Sky. On that record, her major label debut after the death of Gram Parsons, Emmylou covered one of Dolly’s most famous tunes, “Coat Of Many Colors.”

Clearly, we need to get Dolly and Emmylou together at The Last Waltz, a full 11 years before their collaboration with Linda Ronstadt on 1987’s Trio. (Actually, let’s get Linda on stage here as well.)

9. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings

More country music! In 1976, Willie and Waylon ascended to new heights of fame and prominence upon the release of Wanted! The Outlaws, the record that codified and popularized the burgeoning outlaw movement. Nearly 50 years later, the connection between these guys and The Band seems more obvious than perhaps it was in the seventies. Together, they form the foundation of what is now known as Americana. But Dylan already invited Willie to perform on the Rolling Thunder Revue earlier in ’76. And Willie and Waylon certainly sail over the Neil Diamond “Mendoza” Line, musically and philosophically.

8. Bruce Springsteen

This is a tricky one. If The Last Waltz had taken place four years later, inviting Bruce might have been a no brainer. But he was still the new kid in 1976. Born To Run had been a media phenomenon the previous year, but there was still a possible “flavor of the month” fate in store for the young Boss. (I had a similar thought regarding Warren Zevon, whose debut album dropped six months before the concert. In spite of his “it guy” status in L.A., he seems a little too new for The Last Waltz.) For Bruce, the leading “New Dylan” of ’76, I think they could have justified an invite. (Even though this would have definitely annoyed Van Morrison.)

I’m thrilled by the possibility of The Band mustering up some long-lost juice from The Hawks’ days for “Backstreets,” but I suspect they would be safer ground with the “Detroit Medley.”

7. Curtis Mayfield

A common reference point for Robertson regarding his own guitar playing with The Band, which evolved from the super-charged blues leads he played on the mid-sixties Dylan tour to the more subtle and soulful asides he sprinkled throughout Music From Big Pink and The Band. Their arrangement of Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” from Big Pink is the most obvious nod to Mayfield’s work with The Impressions, and it would have been nice to acknowledge the debt by inviting Curtis to grace the stage with one of his signature songs, “People Get Ready.”

6. Crosby & Nash

Prior to The Last Waltz, the most famous all-star rock concert was The Concert For Bangladesh, a 1971 benefit staged at Madison Square Garden by George Harrison along with Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar and Badfinger. One person who was not invited was Stephen Stills, though he was an essential part of the show — he donated his stage, sound and lighting system and production manager after performing at MSG just two days prior. And Harrison thanked him by not thanking him at the concert or inviting him to perform. Stills instead hung out backstage and got drunk.

At The Last Waltz, Stills actually was invited on stage, though because he showed up late it was only for one of the late night jams included on the expanded version of the album. (Who shows up late to The Last Waltz? Get your shit together, Stills!) Since Stills and Young are already on the bill, we might as well get Crosby and Nash in the mix as well. Imagine how big Neil’s cocaine booger would have been if he had access to Croz’s supply!

5. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts

Another big-time superstar seventies concert eventually overshadowed by The Last Waltz is Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, a 1973 concert featuring a triple bill of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers Band, and The Band. About 600,000 people showed up, four times the number of ticket buyers. It was an iconic moment that forever locked the three bands in the same context. Therefore, it seems fitting for two of the ABB brothers to show up at The Last Waltz.

Granted, 1976 was a terrible year for Gregg — his road manager Scooter Herring was busted on federal drug charges, and he was compelled to testify against him, leading to his former friend’s 75-year prison sentence. The scandal temporarily ripped the band apart, so in our timeline The Last Waltzcould have also applied to ABB. At worst, Dickey Betts — who at the time promised that “there was no way we can work with Gregg Allman, ever” — might have shanked Gregg on stage during the climactic “I Shall Be Released” group sing-along. Which would have been a pretty amazing end to the movie, to be honest.

4. Johnny Cash

Come on: Johnny and Rick Danko trading verses on “The Long Black Veil”? I am fundamentally against A.I. music but I am almost tempted to commit digital necrophilia in order to hear that.

3. George Harrison

He hung out with The Band at Woodstock in the late sixties, and the vibes were so sweet it made him realize that being in The Beatles kind of sucked. The week before The Last Waltz, he put out one of his worst solo albums, 33 1/3. He ultimately decided not to tour in support of it. He clearly had nothing better to do. Would it have killed him to jam on some All Things Must Pass tunes with his good pals one last time? Clearly not!

2. Elvis Presley

If he had been asked, he probably would have said no. (Or Colonel Tom Parker would have intercepted the message and made sure Elvis didn’t see it.) But it’s amazing to ponder in retrospect that the time all these legends were on the same stage, Elvis was still alive. He wasn’t thriving, perhaps — he was going to die in nine months — but he was still around. And he was on the road, doing his Elvis thing in arenas all over the country.

Something I did not realize until this very second when I Googled Elvis’ tour schedule in 1976: He performed a two-night run of shows in San Francisco that began just three days after The Last Waltz. Elvis was almost, literally, in the building! He could have been the new “most out-of-shape guy in a flamboyant suit” rock star at The Last Waltz, usurping Van!

It was possible, theoretically at least, for Elvis Presley to sing “Mystery Train” with The Band at The Last Waltz. This shouldn’t blow my mind, but it does.

1. Jerry Garcia

I mean, seriously: You stage an all-star concert in San Francisco and you don’t invite Jerry? That’s just not right. And there’s no excuse: Jerry was not on the road on November 25, 1976 — not with the Dead, not with the Jerry Garcia Band — so the man was available. And he covered “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” regularly with JBB, so you had an obvious “in” there. (Put him on second guitar while Levon sings it, for crying out loud!)

I know you could make the argument in 1976 that The Dead and The Band were opposites in terms of economy, i.e. “focus on the song” vs. “jam your balls off.” I guess you could do that? But not inviting Jerry is still inexplicable to me. Who doesn’t invite Jerry in Jerry’s backyard?? Was Bill Graham just being a dick to Jerry that week?

I think I need to step out for a minute and calm down.

Miley Cyrus‘ endless summer vacation was interrupted with a bold legal filing. Although the “Doctor (Work It Out)” singer is working on new music, her previously released project could land her in court.

Back in September, Miley Cyrus was accused of plagiarizing Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” for her Grammy Award-winning single, “Flowers.” According to People, Cyrus is fighting back against the copyright infringement lawsuit.

Documents obtained by the outlet show that Cyrus’ legal team have filed to get the suit dismissed focusing on a technicality. Although Cyrus’ denies the accusation, her lawyers have sited that because the suit wasn’t filed by Mars or any of the song’s co-writers (Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt) it has no standing.

“Only owners of exclusive rights may sue for copyright infringement,” reads the response. “An assignee of only one co-author lacks exclusive rights and, therefore, also lacks standing to sue for infringement.”

For clarity, Mars, Lawrence, Levine, nor Wyatt are plaintiffs in the matter. The copyright lawsuit was actually filed by Tempo Music Investments. Tempo Music Investments is only a partial copyright holder after acquiring Lawrence’s catalog.

The presiding judge in the matter has not yet issued a decision regarding Cyrus’ motion.