Iconic rock legend, Marilyn Manson, has announced a 2025 North American spring tour in support of his new album, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1. Prior to the May dates, Manson will head to Europe in February for a sold out tour.
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 24 at 10 AM, local time here.
North American tour dates:
May 2 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe 3 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana 4 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore 6 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount 7 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Event Center 9 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met 10 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues 12 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater 13 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion 15 – Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues 16 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore 18 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville 20 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle 21 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore 24 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 25 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Marilyn Manson’s 12th album, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1, is available now from Nuclear Blast Records. Stream and purchase here.
Rock legend, Billy Idol, is returning to the road for It’s a Nice Day To…Tour Again! Fellow superstar Joan Jett And The Blackhearts will join Idol on all shows. Produced by Live Nation, the run of arenas and amphitheaters kicks off at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix on April 30 and includes stops at an array of storied venues including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD and more. See below for a complete list of dates.
Artist pre-sales begin Wednesday, January 22 at 9 AM, local time, with local pre-sales beginning Thursday, January 23 at 9 AM, local time. The general onsale begins Friday, January 24 at 9 AM, local time. Additional info and tickets will be available at billyidol.net/tour. Five dollars from every ticket sold to the Los Angeles show at Kia Forum will be donated to the American Red Cross to support Southern California Wildfire Relief. Billly Idol will also personally match this donation.
In anticipation of the upcoming tour, Idol stars in a short video featuring his iconic catalog; the clip also stars comedian Matt Rife with cameos from longtime Idol collaborator and guitar player Steve Stevens and tourmate Joan Jett. Watch below.
Idol will soon share details of the forthcoming release of his new LP, due later this year on Dark Horse Records.
Tour dates:
April 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
May 3 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman 4 – Austin, TX – Moody Center 7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena 9 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 13 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena 16 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion 17 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena 20 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre 21 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center 23 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
August 16 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann 17 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC 20 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Arena 22 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion 23 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center 26 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre 28 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre 30 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center 31 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheatre
September 3 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphithatre 12 – Palm Springs, CA – Acrisure Arena 14 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theater* 17 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre 19 – Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater 20 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 23 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre 25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
Sammy Hagar, who in April will launch The Best Of All Worlds Tour – The Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, recently spoke with Las Vegas Review-Journal, and revealed, “I don’t think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that, because I don’t want to piss my fans off.”
Hagar made the statement after sound-check at Caspian’s Cocktails & Caviar at Caesars Palace, where he was the surprise guest at their recent grand-opening party. “I’ll go out and do a one-off show and do things like that, but the residency is going to give me a good extension of my career. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Regarding the Vegas residency, Hagar added: “With this, I don’t have to travel, I don’t have to unpack and pack and get on an airplane every day. You know, at my age, it hurts my shoulders to do all this. And I have to perform. I’m a performer, at the end of the day.”
Yesterday, Monday, January 20, Hagar took to social media to shed some light on his statements. In the video below, Sammy says, “The last couple of weeks, yeah, I’ve been getting all these messages from people, ‘Oh my God, you’re not gonna tour anymore.’ I didn’t say I’m not gonna tour anymore, I was referring to the residency coming up in May with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Kenny Aronoff, Rai Thistlethwayte, the same Best Of All Worlds band, Best Of All Worlds tour. We’re gonna do a residency – MGM Park, and I’m hoping that that will be a lot easier for me than packing bags every day and getting on an airplane, flying in the next city, checking in the hotel, running a soundcheck, trying to get something to eat, go to the meet & greet, get to the show and then doing a show.
“Without all that crazy travel and all that extracurricular stuff, it should be easier for me… waking up, having a nice breakfast in the town where you’re gonna play, not having to do anything but maybe go to the gym, maybe rehearse. Yeah, man, now you’re talking.
“I’ll be chomping at the bit when it comes showtime, because I will be well rested without all that travel. I just think it’s gonna be great. I may be able to squeeze fifty, a hundred more shows out of this voice, you know, and this body.
“I’m a performer, I like to perform, and it takes it out of you. So that’s all I’m saying, is hopefully the residency will be the answer to be able to continue on for many more years, because if not, touring is getting tough, and I will be doing less and less. And eventually, I probably won’t be able to do it at all. I mean, it’s inevitable. I’m only human.
“Anyway, it’s all good. I’m not gonna stop performing, ever. I will play music, live music, as long as I can. I frickin’ love it. Are you kidding me? All right, there’s your answer.”
The Best Of All Worlds Tour – The Residency will reunite the rock powerhouse band of Sammy, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Kenny Aronoff with a new “only in Las Vegas” setlist running April 30 through May 17, 2025. The tour represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this band of brothers deliver one of the most legendary hits-packed live shows of their careers.
This highly anticipated residency will showcase Sammy’s career-spanning hits, from seminal breakouts with Montrose, his iconic solo hits, and a deep dive into his tenure with Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and everything in between. Presented in partnership by Live Nation and MGM Resorts International, the residency will be custom-designed for Dolby Live, giving fans an intimate, high-energy concert experience in the 5,200-seat entertainment venue.
“I’m so looking forward to this residency and being able to stay in one place so we can get the sound and production completely dialed in,” said Sammy Hagar. “It also allows the band to experiment with the setlist every night – that’s why it’s going to be exclusive to Las Vegas. Instead of traveling all day on tour when there’s no time to rehearse and make changes. I plan on digging deeper into the Van Halen catalog, and my solo career, Montrose and Chickenfoot, as well. The fans are in for a lot of surprises.”
The Las Vegas residency follows on the heels of the chart-topping success of The Best of All Worlds tour, which sold out amphitheaters and arenas across North America and Japan. Together with the release of The Collection II, the 2023 box set featuring newly remastered versions of the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era of Van Halen: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995), fans were reinvigorated by their arsenal of hits, many which hadn’t been played live since the band’s 2004 reunion tour. Musician Rai Thistlethwayte will also return on keyboard and backing vocals to round out the band of brothers and deliver an exclusive new hits-packed live show.
The Best of All Worlds tour received universal raves from fans who’d been waiting 20 years to experience it live again, and critics who universally praised it.
“The crowd remained on their feet for most of the show, singing along or holding up their phones to capture the moment. The musicians seemed to be having just as much fun. Hagar, alongside Anthony, made it clear that the tour was not just a performance but a ‘celebration’ of Van Halen’s enduring legacy. ‘It’s a celebration of the music and the people who supported that band,’ Hagar said. And the fans couldn’t agree more.” – USA Today
“Now this is going to be an amazing tour! If you’re ever going to play the Van Halen music, this tour you put together is going to be a massive celebration of all the music. I get emotional just listening to it.” – Howard Stern, The Howard Stern Show
“Sammy Hagar sounded ageless as he celebrated Van Halen and more in Phoenix. Joe Satriani did a great job of channeling Eddie Van Halen (and more). The phrase ‘guitar hero’ is obviously overused, but Satriani more than lives up to the title. He’s a total badass on guitar, as he reminded us repeatedly without necessarily making it all about him.” – Arizona Republic
“Sammy Hagar’s Best of Both Worlds Tour — which also features former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, and drummer Kenny Aronoff — brought an infectious energy to PNC Music Pavilion. Hagar and Anthony’s bond was palpable on stage… The crowd turned out in full force to hear Van Halen-era songs like ‘Right Now,’ ‘Best of Both Worlds,’ and ‘Why Can’t This Be Love,’ alongside Hagar’s solo classics. Their performance proved that age is just a number when the music is this good.” – Charlotte Observer
2025 Vegas Residency Dates:
April 30 Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM
May 2 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 3 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 7 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 9 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 14 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM
German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk have announced they will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their iconic Autobahn album with reissues on three different formats through Parlophone Records on March 7.
Originally released in Germany on the Phillips label in November 1974, Autobahn transformed Kraftwerk from art-rock cult act to unlikely left-field pop stars. A three-minute edit of the title song hit the Top Ten in Germany and 11 in the UK while reaching Number 25 in the US. The album was also a worldwide success, reaching Number 4 in Britain, Number 5 in the US and Canada, and Number 7 in Germany.
Kraftwerk founder Ralf Hütter, along with engineer Fritz Hilpert, has revisited the album’s master tapes and the pair have created a brand new Dolby Atmos mix, which will be released as a Blu-ray disc as well as digitally. An exclusive edition of the Blu-ray which comes housed in a card slipcase will only be available from the band’s official Kling Klang store.
Autobahn will also be released on vinyl as a picture disc, the very first official picture disc from the band, featuring the 2009 remix of the album. A seven-inch vinyl single, featuring an edited version of the iconic title track, backed with Kometenmelodie 2, will be released on February 14.
Kraftwerk will headline the Forever Now Festival at Milton Keynes Bowl on June 22 and have also announced a US and Canadian tour for March and April, You can see all the band’s live dates and ticket details below.
(Image credit: Parlophone)
Kraftwerk 2025 Live Dates
Mar 6: PA Philadelphia Franklin Music Hall Mar 7: PA Pittsburgh Stage AE Outdoors Mar 8: ON Toronto Massey Hall Mar 10: QC Montreal Place Des Arts Mar11: MA Boston Boch Center Wang Theatre Mar 13: N Y Brooklyn Kings Theatre Mar 14: NY New York Beacon Theatre Mar 16: DC Washington The Anthem Mar 17: NC Charlotte Ovens Auditorium Mar 19: FL Orlando Dr Phillips Center Mar 20: FL Miami Adrienne Arsht Center Mar 23: GA Atlanta The Eastern Mar 24: LA New Orleans Orpheum Theatre Mar 25: TN Memphis Overton Park Shell Mar 26: TN Nashville The Pinnacle Mar 28: MI Detroit Masonic Cathedral Theatre Mar 29: IL Chicago The Auditorium Mar 30: MN Minneapolis Orpheum Theatre Mar 31: MO Kansas City The Midland Theatre Apr 2: CO Denver Ellie Caulkins Opera House Apr 4: NV Las Vegas Encore Theatre at Wyn Apr 6: OR Portland Keller Auditorium Apr 7: BC Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Theatre Apr 9: WA Seattle Moore Theatre Apr 11: NV Reno Grand Sierra Resort & Casino Apr 13: CA Indio Coachella Festival Apr 14: AZ Phoenix Orpheum Theatre Apr 16: UT Salt Lake City The Union Apr 18: CA Berkeley The Greek Theatre Apr 20: CA Indio Coachella Festival Apr 23: TX Austin Bass Concert Hall Apr 24: TX Dallas Majestic Theatre Jun 22: UK Milton Keynes Bowl Forever Now Festival (headliner) Jul 8: GER Stuttgart Jazz Open Jul 18: ITALajatico Tuscany Teatro Del Silenzio Jul 25: ITA Taormina Sicily Teatro Anica
Tickets for the new North American shows go on sale this Friday, January 24 at 10AM local time, available here.
Sign up below to get the latest from Prog, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
The compact disc was once a ubiquitous format. The generation-defining format was the way to listen to music, combining high audio fidelity with immense portability and sheer convenience besides. The humble CD has been overlooked in favour of tech both newer and older in recent years – however, and at just the right time, the great CD rehabilitation is nigh.
And with this rehabilitation comes a naturally renewed interest in ways of listening to them. This is especially true for portable CD players, which are making a comeback all of their own. Not only do portable CD players re-unlock the potential of your CD collection (and of your charity shop’s undoubtedly-bulging CD racks), but they enable a considered, focused, even tactile listening experience at home or on the move. Put simply: you need one of these in your life. But which one do you need?
Quick list
The Louder choice
FiiO’s DM13 is a gem amongst portable CD players. It combines rugged and seamless portability with the functionality of full-size hi-fi CD players, and does so while looking kind of snazzy as well. This’ll be just as at-home in your bag or in your living room, and will sound good however you tap its audio.
The KLIM Nomad is a different kind of ‘does-everything’ portable CD player, that offers some genuinely surprising features in a genuinely wallet-friendly package. A great CD player with an FM radio build-in, this device also has a TF card reader that can handle up to 32GB micro-SDs – ideal for bringing your digital collection to your car.
The Oakcastle CD100 is a no-nonsense portable player which does exactly as it says on the tin. An integrated rechargeable battery with a 12-hour life makes this an excellent all-day device, and its austere-ish casing design suits it to both your pocket and your car’s dashboard.
The Aiwa brand is back once again, and again with some retro-friendly brilliance courtesy of the PCD-810. This is a portable CD player that can handle CD-Rs and CD-RWs, with a control surface that enables easy exploration of MP3-CD files and folders – and easy creation of your own playlists too.
Philips brings new meaning to ‘sharp’ with the AZB798T – an amusingly-angular boombox that revives old-school portable CD player tradition. It’s a bit finicky to power with batteries, but when you do you get a portable boombox that marries old-school formats with nu-school connectivity (and a loud amp, to boot).
Lenco’s almost-trademark vintage stylings take an unconventional but highly-appreciated turn here, with the CD-202TR – a portable CD player with a transparent plastic case. Relive the glory days of Y2K-era Game Boy ownership with this snazzy throwback device; it takes AA batteries, but that’s also part of the charm!
✅ Buy if you’re a hi-fi enthusiast: the DM13’s cavalcade of outputs enable it to speak to practically any system, and sound very good while doing so too. It’s a true versatile player, equally at home on the road or…at home.
❌ Avoid if you’re on a budget: The price tag is justified by the sheer functionality crammed into its minuscule frame, but that doesn’t change how much you might be willing to pay for a portable player.
The FiiO brand has come to dominate the latest wave of nostalgo-futurism, at least with respect to this fun niche of portable legacy media players. The CP13 portable cassette player was a slam dunk for tape enthusiasts, and this – their latest – threatens to do exactly the same for CD walkmen-adjacents.
There are scant few CD players on the market that touch every aspect the much-anticipated FiiO DM13 does. This is a CD-centric everything-box orders of magnitude smaller than your average player – and orders of magnitude better-sounding than a fair few genuine hi-fi separates on the market too. Peerless connectivity means this will slot in to practically any system and use-case, from feeding Bluetooth speakers to USB-interfacing with computers.
The DM13 has a built-in battery with an 8-hour life, ideal for a day’s listening out and about; a handy Desktop mode also lets you bypass the battery and power the player straight from plug, so you can dock your DM13 somewhat permanently if you wish. All told, this is an elegant device with an elegant design – and if you can make peace with its cost, possibly the last portable CD player you’ll ever need to buy.
Best for driving
The KLIM Nomad portable CD player in sky blue (Image credit: KLIM)
2. KLIM Nomad
This portable CD player unlocks your digital collection with a nifty TF card reader
Specifications
Features: FM radio, micro-SD reader, Bluetooth
CD-R/CD-RW Compatible: Yes
Battery life: 14 hours
Reasons to buy
+
TF card reader increases practicality
+
Impressive 14-hour battery life
+
Bluetooth and dual-jack outputs
Reasons to avoid
–
Flimsy-feeling in places
At a glance
✅ Buy if you’re a digital audio hoarder: the built-in card reader trivialises accessing your digital library on the go.
❌ Avoid if you’re an all-weather rambler: Well-featured and well-priced as the Nomad is, it might not survive harsher conditions or handling.
The KLIM Nomad is quietly a stacked affair, being a portable CD player with some unique features that set it apart from others at its price point. For starters, it’s rare to see a discman-style CD player with a built-in FM radio. This is a smart touch, too, giving you a little more longevity with the device if you’ve only brought one CD out with you.
The next feature, though, is a genuine surprise. The Nomad features a TF card reader, that can accept micro-SD cards of up to 32GB, which is a supremely nifty solution for accessing your digitised collection on the go. This makes the Nomad an excellent driving companion, being its own 800-album-ish CD changer (in spirit, of course).
These nice additions, coupled with Bluetooth connectivity and a built-in 14-hour battery, put the Nomad miles ahead of most other budget portable CD players. As for the actual CD-playing bit, it’ll play practically any CD you chuck at it – and has a 100-second anti-skip buffer for keeping your listening seamless while on the move. A steal!
Best budget
The Oakcastle CD100 portable CD player (Image credit: Oakcastle)
3. Oakcastle CD100
A no-nonsense portable CD player that offers great value for money
Specifications
Features: Bluetooth
CD-R/CD-RW Compatible: Yes
Battery life: 12 hours
Reasons to buy
+
12-hour rechargeable battery
+
Bluetooth
+
Rubber feet for stable in-car usage
Reasons to avoid
–
Micro-USB charging is a little out of date
At a glance
✅ Buy if your needs are simple: You won’t find a better-priced device for simply and reliably playing your CDs.
❌ Avoid if you yearn for more: The CD100 is an essential marriage of old and new, so its bells and whistles number few.
The Oakcastle CD100 is an unassuming little CD player, with an austere black plastic chassis and a basic, easy to read control surface. This minimalist device is a highly affordable portable CD player, with a basic feature-set that will meet the vast majority of needs.
Its 12-hour battery life is more than enough to cover the daily comings-and-goings of the CD listener on the move, and its 5V USB charging makes keeping it juiced easy enough – even if the micro-USB port is a little dated at this point. It does a sturdy job of playing, and its Bluetooth connectivity is especially welcome at this price point.
The CD100 lends itself well to most outdoor jauntery, but is especially useful in the car. Anti-slip rubber feet keep it safely stationed on your dash, and you can connect to your car’s hi-fi either wired or wirelessly. It’s a no-nonsense player, and will do precisely what you ask it to – without hurting your wallet in the process.
Best for MP3-CDs
The Aiwa PCD-810BL (Image credit: Aiwa)
4. Aiwa PCD-810BL
Digital-disc-playing supremacy from an iconic retro-hi-fi brand
✅ Buy if you’re a serial audiobook fan: A handy pick-up-where-you-left-off resume function, coupled with somewhat-rare MP3-CD-friendliness, makes this your audiobook narrators’ best friend.
❌ Avoid if you’re big on fidelity: The PCD-810 sounds fine for day-to-day, but audio enthusiasts will miss the clarity and depth of more balanced players.
Aiwa’s PCD-810 is a fun portable player from a classic name in older hi-fi. Though today’s Aiwa is a new enterprise against the various Aiwas that came before, it retains a close connection to the original brand – and makes good on its heritage with robust players like this one.
The PCD-810 is a great portable CD player in and of itself, but its USP is in its handling of CD-Rs and CD-RWs. This is truly a digital device, with a nifty control surface that enables swift navigation of your MP3-CD-R/Ws’ files. Sound-wise, the X-HyperBass boost is a tad overzealous, but the PCD-810BL is otherwise extremely serviceable.
The player runs off AA batteries, but it has a micro-USB input for 5V DC power – and a recharge switch for topping up your rechargeable batteries (some of which can be found in the box). This unit ships with some fun goodies too, including a neat, soft, branded carry-case and some well-constructed wired earphones. You’ll burn through your audiobook collection with this one.
Best boombox
(Image credit: Philips)
5. Philips AZB798T
Multi-functional hi-fi in an auspiciously angular boombox format
Specifications
Features: CD player, USB reader, DAB+ radio, FM radio, Bluetooth, built in amp and speakers
CD-R/CD-RW Compatible: Yes
Battery: 6 x D (not included)
Reasons to buy
+
All-in-one portable hi-fi
+
+ 12W output power
Reasons to avoid
–
Polarising design
–
Expensive to buy batteries
At a glance
✅ Buy if you’re a mixtape master: CD-R/W and cassette-tape compatibility make this the ideal portable hi-fi for blasting your own mixes.
❌ Avoid if you want a sleek player: It’s loud-looking and a little costly to power portably; you might want something a little smaller in scope.
The humble boombox has all-but disappeared from public life, having been unceremoniously usurped by the wireless Bluetooth speaker – but here, we have a stubborn remnant of tech formats past, in Philips’ AZB798T portable boombox system. And it’s got a CD player in it.
The AZB798T is a portable boombox with a raft of features, some of which are less expected than others. In keeping with convention, this boombox also has FM radio and a cassette deck; in keeping with modernity, it enables Bluetooth connectivity for streaming tunes, offers access to DAB+ radio stations, and will even read MP3s off a USB stick.
The AZB798T can be battery-powered, but will require some old-school investment in D-type batteries (and six of them, as well). This investment is but a gateway, though, to all the adolescent fun of a sharp-looking CD-blasting loudmaker.
Best for nostalgia
The Lenco CD-202TR portable CD player (Image credit: Lenco)
6. Lenco CD-202TR
Lenco’s portable player is a timely venture into see-through supremacy
✅ Buy if you miss your transparent-blue N64: The clear plastic casing is a rare treat of a throwback design choice, and a fun reliving of simpler tech-times.
Avoid if you like modern convenience: The CD-202TR might take its nostalgic positioning a little too seriously, being bereft of built-in batteries and Bluetooth.
Lenco is a brand perhaps better known for its turntables, which range from suitcase-y retro bedroom spinners to direct-drive DJ-friendly systems. In keeping with its commitment to the formats and design styles of yesteryear, Lenco’s CD-202TR is a love letter to the heights of the CD-supremacy generation. In so many words, it’s see-through.
The CD-202TR is a portable CD player which gamely hearkens to the iconic near-transparency of 90s electronics. It’s immediately clear (eh? eh?) why this device should appeal to the CD rediscoverers amongst us, nailing as it does the aesthetic of millennial tech. Meanwhile, it capably performs as a CD player of that era would perform, with core functions all accessed by neatly arranged buttons that follow the contour of the lid.
The CD-202TR is powered by two AA batteries; if you get the rechargeable kind, you can recharge them via the DC jack input on the device, which can also act as a power source for at-home listening. There’s no Bluetooth connectivity, but perhaps that’s befitting of a device which looks like it remembers the ‘computer room’ in your childhood home.
The Aiwa PCD-810BL (Image credit: Aiwa)
FAQ
The CD’s recent fall from favour has been slow but sure, with the format having taken a great deal of unjust flak over the years. Despite the CD’s objective merits over most other formats, the hip glamour of the vinyl record posts-revival eventually outshone the CD’s practicality – and the one-two punch of smartphones and streaming services put paid to the CD’s convenience-based supremacy as well.
But the second wind of CD, and hence of the portable CD player, is testament to the endurance of the format – and inextricably linked to streaming-service fatigue. Poorly-optimised audio and poorly-adjudicated AI playlists have turned many music-lovers off the apps, with the high fidelity and near-permanence of the CD there to pick things back up.
Portable CD players enable a kind of focused listening that counters the intention-less meandering of streaming service algorithms, and happens to do so in an undeniably cool retro-ish fashion as well. If you’re in the market for one, there isn’t altogether much to look out for. Most new portable players will already have the same anti-skip and anti-shock technology that was perfected the first time around – but there are some modern features you might be glad to find in your next discman-style device.
For one, you might be better-served selecting a CD player with a built-in rechargeable battery, and particularly so if it’s micro-USB or USB-C; this way, you can treat it just as any other piece of portable tech in your life, right down to emergency-charging from a power bank.
For another, wired headphones aren’t going the way of the dodo, but they are becoming less and less practical in a world of wireless earbuds and headphones. A Bluetooth-enabled portable CD player is much more likely to integrate well into your pre-existing personal-tech ecosystem.
Read more:
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.
James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music and audio writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, they covered everything music and Leeds through their section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When they aren’t blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country; James will evangelise to you about Tera Melos until the sun comes up.
On the follow-up to the dream-busting Witness, Danish-Swedish quartet VOLA have worked hard to perfect their sound but have also been focused on not creating a direct sequel. Frontman Asger Mygind shares the secrets of their success and details the story behind their new studio album, Friend Of A Phantom.
“It was a bit difficult to write this album,” says VOLA singer and guitarist Asger Mygind. “Witness fulfilled many dreams I had about making an album. I was extremely happy about the mix; so, personally, I was in doubt about where to go after that.”
When Witness came out in 2021 it was a crushing sonic assault that perfectly demonstrated the quartet’s ability to experiment in a sophisticated yet daring way – bringing progressive tech metal, alt rock and electronica to the table before slamming anthemic choruses alongside its core elements.
Their limited initial shows in support of the release were all seated, due to the pandemic. “Many of the gigs we wanted to do that year were pushed to 2022,” Mygind says. “It became a very long touring period, and that made it difficult to choose when to begin on the next album. We had to start writing at some point; at the same time, we were still in the Witness album cycle. It was difficult to focus on either thing.”
That album received an impeccable fan reception, and ramped up support from further afield; and It all began with the first single, Head Mounted Sideways, released at the end of 2020. “It was nice to see how people reacted,” Mygind says. “I started to really get my hopes up in terms of how the rest of the album would be received. It was a good beacon for my hopes.”
Witness presented VOLA with some incredible opportunities, playing festivals such as Euroblast, Alcatraz, Summer Breeze, Brutal Assault, Roskilde, Copenhell and ArcTanGent, and even opening for Devin Townsend at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Mygind believes the success of Witness stems from the sonic adjustments made by Jacob Hansen (Epica, Volbeat) during the mixing and mastering process.
“He has this very high-fidelity sound. It’s very detailed; it’s very big. I think he made us sound bigger than we did on our previous albums – and also more accessible. I think our songwriting approach was pretty much the same as it’s always been. He was just able to wrap it in a nicer package.”
Sign up below to get the latest from Prog, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
New album Friend Of A Phantom kicks in harder than ever; but it took Mygind a while to find his direction. “I was searching for a way into the songwriting and going down some dead ends – I was trying too hard to make something that was different; to not be Witness Part Two. We want to create something different each time, because it’s the most fun.
The spectrum of aggression is bigger than on Witness – but the sound is not that far away
“In the end, we just started writing the best songs we could, not thinking about what sort of vibe they had. We were just writing and being very critical about what we wrote.”
As a result, Friend Of A Phantom is a diverse record. The softer areas are much more delicate, melodic and accessible, but the heavier parts are much more extreme, with Mygind’s harsh vocals becoming more prominent.
“Earlier on it had mostly just been a scream here and there,” he says. “But now I’m actually screaming several lines of lyrics. I think the spectrum of aggression, you could say, is bigger than on Witness – but the sound is not that far from it because it’s still Jacob Hansen mixing.”
Mygind says of VOLA’s attempt to achieve balance: “It’s always the big question. Usually, when we make an album it’s a reaction to what we did earlier. Applause Of A Distant Crowd was a bit more indie-sounding, I’d say, than the album that came before that, Inmazes. Witness was more hi-fi than Applause Of A Distant Crowd. It always feels natural try a contrast to the album before. That was a bit more difficult to find this time.”
Paper Wolf, the lead single from Friend Of A Phantom, shot past half a million views on YouTube alone. When the band appeared at Radar Festival last summer, they drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. “Our singles have had a good reception and we’re getting booked for some great festivals,” Mygind says. “There are people out there enjoying it – thankfully!”
It’s hardly surprising, then, that VOLA are capturing the attention of big names in the alternative music industry. On Friend Of A Phantom, the band collaborates with vocalist Anders Fridén from melodic death metal band In Flames. “That started in the Witness album cycle, when I noticed that Anders had shared Straight Lines on his Instagram,” Mygind says.
“It was just an image from the artwork or something, and saying he enjoyed the song. When we toured in North America last year, he came to the show in Los Angeles and we met backstage, and he talked about how much they liked VOLA, which was amazing!
“Back in Denmark, when we recorded the album, we started talking about Cannibal, and how it would be cool to have someone scream in the chorus. While I’d done something in the demo, we thought it would be nice if we could get someone that could do it better. Anders’ name came up pretty quickly.
It’s easy to feel like you have to come up with something new for every part of the song … it often gives the best results to go the other way
“It got expanded to him screaming in the second verse and doing parts here and there, and some of it was things he came up with in the studio. He was really enthusiastic about it; he recorded the files in Sweden and sent them to me. I produced it, we got it mixed, and we’re super-excited about the results.”
After 18 years together, VOLA have assembled a collection of tools and tricks when it comes to songwriting. Finding an adjusted approach to their music is part of that – and since Mygind recently became a father for the first time, there are plenty of adjustments to use as inspiration for future material.
“If you have a certain rhythm, use that again in the verse, and then use some of the verse in the chorus, and use some of that again in the next part,” he says. “Find a red thread in the songs, and reuse your ideas.
“It can be really powerful – it’ll give the ear something familiar to hold on to throughout. It’s easy to feel like you have to come up with something new for every part of the song.
“But it often gives the best results to go the other way: see how much you can reuse. You can start up by having it in the guitars, and then when you go to the chorus the keyboard takes over. It’s there all the time – but it has a different feel and a different sound.”
Peter Frampton has announced a new tour starting in the spring. The Let’s Do It Again! shows will keep the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee on the road for about three weeks.
This latest tour joins Frampton’s recent run of shows following a diagnosis of inclusion body myositis (IBM), a degenerative disease of the muscles, in 2019.
After a brief flirting with a farewell tour, Frampton has since gone on the road with fittingly named concert runs: the Never Say Never, Never EVER Say Never and Positively Thankful tours.
“I am so thrilled to be able to come out and play again for you,” Frampton noted in a press release announcing the new shows. “It’s been a spectacular year, looking forward to seeing everyone soon.”
Frampton also played “Baby (Somethin’s Happening)” that night.
Where Is Peter Frampton Performing in 2025?
Frampton’s Let’s Do It Again! tour dates launch on March 30 with a concert in Uncasville, Connecticut. From there, he will perform in Atlantic City, Niagra Falls and Chicago, before wrapping up on April 19 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Tickets will be available at 10 a.m. local time on Friday. You can find more information about the tour and tickets on Frampton’s website.
The scheduled dates for Frampton’s Let’s Do It Again! tour are below.
Peter Frampton, Let’s Do It Again! Tour 2025 March 30—Uncasville, CT—Mohegan Sun Arena April 1—Port Chester, NY—The Capitol Theatre April 3—Bethlehem, PA—Wind Creek Event Center April 5—Atlantic City, NJ—Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena April 7—New Brunswick, NJ—State Theatre New Jersey April 9—Niagara Falls, ON—OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino April 11—Carmel, IN—The Center for the Performing Arts – The Palladium April 15—Milwaukee, WI—The Riverside Theater April 17—Chicago, IL—The Chicago Theatre April 19—Mount Pleasant, MI—Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Outdoor Summer Concert Series
Top 100 Live Albums
These are more than just concert souvenirs or stage documents from that awesome show you saw last summer.
Daryl Hall has announced a new tour for 2025. The dates for the spring run are a co-headlining tour with Squeeze‘s Glenn Tilbrook.
The last time Hall was on the road was in the summer of 2024 when he played dates with Elvis Costello. The tour supported Hall’s latest solo album, D, released in June. Squeeze also toured last summer.
Among the concerts Hall and Tilbrook have lined up for 2025 is a performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall on May 19. Squeeze previously toured with Hall & Oates in 2021.
“I’ve toured with Glenn in the past, and I’m a fan of his songs, and it will be great to work with him again,” Hall noted in a press release announcing the tour.
Hall spent part of 2024 in a lawsuit with his former partner John Oates. Hall filed a restraining order in 2023 against Oates to block his former partner from selling his share in their joint venture, claiming it violated the terms of their agreement.
In April, Oates said the duo was finished. He also released a solo album last year; Reunion arrived a month before Hall’s record.
Where Is Daryl Hall Playing in 2025?
Hall and Tilbrook’s upcoming tour starts on March 22 in Houston. They’ll play a handful of shows in the U.S. for about two weeks, including stops in San Antonio and St. Louis.
After an April 5 date in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, the duo will resume their tour on May 17 in Glasgow; they’ll perform for a week in the U.K., with a final scheduled date on May 25 in Brighton.
“I am so excited to be playing with Daryl and his fabulous band this year,” Tilbrook said. “After having a blast touring with them in 2021, and reigniting the flame in [the web series] Daryl’s House in 2023, I look forward to reuniting with them and playing some of my favorite songs, Daryl songs and some other stuff that you’ll love! Come down and don’t break the furniture.”
You can see all their tour dates below.
Daryl Hall and Glenn Tilbrook 2025 Tour March 22 – Arena Theatre – Houston, TX March 25 – Majestic Theatre – San Antonio, TX March 28 – WinStar World Casino – Thackerville, OK March 30 – Stifel Theatre – St. Louis, MO April 1 – Warner Theatre – Erie, PA April 3 – Genesee Theatre – Waukegan, IL April 5 – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Mt. Pleasant, MI May 17 – SEC Armadillo – Glasgow, UK May 19 – Royal Albert Hall – London, UK May 21 – Symphony Hall – Birmingham, UK May 23 – O2 Apollo – Manchester, UK May 25 – Brighton Centre – Brighton, UK
Top 40 Rock Albums of 1980
The year was marked by new beginnings, abrupt endings, historic turns and subtle shifts.
Idol announced the It’s a Nice Day to… Tour Again! tour with a humorous video (embedded below) in which he can’t go anywhere without having somebody quote his own lyrics to him. Guess who turns up as a psychologist?
The first leg of the tour will kick off April 30th in Phoenix and will conclude on May 23 in Toronto. After a three-month break, the tour starts again on Aug. 16 in Philadelphia and is currently scheduled to end on Sept. 25 in Los Angeles. To help those affected by the L.A. wildfires, five dollars from every ticket sold for the final show will be donated to the American Red Cross.
You can see a complete list of tour dates below. Artist pre-sales begin Wednesday, January 22 at 9 a.m. local time, with local pre-sales beginning Thursday, January 23 at 9AM local time. The general on-sale begins Friday, January 24 at 9AM local time.
Idol has recently completed work on a new album. In recent social media posts he has said to expect the as-yet-untitled record – his first full-length since 2014’s Kings and Queens of the Underground – in April. (He also released recently released two EPs – 2021’s The Roadside and 2022’s The Cage.)
Jett spent last summer alongside Alanis Morrissette on the Triple Moon Tour. Before she hits the road with Idol she’ll mount a brief Las Vegas Residency. Her most recent release was the 2023 six-song EP Mindsets.
April 30: Phoenix, AZ— Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre May 3: Houston, TX— Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman May 4: Austin, TX— Moody Center May 7: Fort Worth, TX— Dickies Arena May 9: Alpharetta, GA— Ameris Bank Amphitheatre May 10: Tampa, FL— MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre May 13: Sunrise, FL— Amerant Bank Arena May 16: Charlotte, NC— PNC Music Pavilion May 17: Nashville, TN— Bridgestone Arena May 20: Tinley Park, IL— Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre May 21: Cincinnati, OH— Riverbend Music Center May 23: Toronto, ON— Budweiser Stage August 16: Philadelphia, PA— TD Pavilion at The Mann August 17: Saratoga Springs, NY— Broadview Stage at SPAC August 20: New York, NY— Madison Square Garden Arena August 22: Columbia, MD— Merriweather Post Pavilion August 23: Mansfield, MA— Xfinity Center August 26: Bangor, ME— Maine Savings Amphitheatre August 28: Clarkston, MI— Pine Knob Music Theatre August 30: Noblesville, IN—Ruoff Music Center August 31: Milwaukee, WI— American Family Insurance Amphitheatre September 3: Morrison, CO— Red Rocks Amphitheatre September 5: Salt Lake City, UT— Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre September 12: Palm Springs, CA— Acrisure Arena September 14: Berkeley, CA— Greek Theater* September 17: Wheatland, CA— Toyota Amphitheatre September 19: Ridgefield, WA— Cascades Amphitheater September 20: Seattle, WA— Climate Pledge Arena September 23: Chula Vista, CA— North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre September 25: Los Angeles, CA— The Kia Forum
Watch Billy Idol and Joan Jett’s Tour Announcement Video
Totally ’80s: The Pictures That Take You Back
Take a nostalgic journey through the ’80s with these iconic photos—capturing the fashion, toys, and unforgettable news events that left a lasting impact on a generation. Keep scrolling to relive the moments that defined the decade.
Garth Hudson, the Band‘s genius multi-instrumentalist and careful archivist, has died. He was 87. The Toronto Star confirmed that he passed away in his sleep this morning at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York. Longtime friend Jan Haust told Rolling Stone that “yesterday was a day of music and hand-holding.”
He was group’s last living member – and its most unique. Longtime collaborator Levon Helm once said “you could take anybody out of the Band — Robbie [Robertson], Rick [Danko] or him — and it would still be the Band,” producer John Simon later told the Times-Herald Record. “But it wouldn’t be the Band without Garth.”
Hudson was born in Windsor, Ontario and raised by a musical family two hours away in London. He initially studied classical music, then fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll. “I played trumpet and saxophone through high school,” Hudson told the Woodstock Times in 1985. “Then somewhere about 1952, 1953, I began to pick up Alan Freed’s Moondog Matinee from Akron/Cleveland from 5:05 to 5:55. … It was one of the first successful rock ‘n’ roll shows. So, I knew someone over there was having more fun than I was.”
Hudson played in a series of local bands before attracting the attention of Ronnie Hawkins, who recruited him to join a rockabilly-influenced predecessor to the Band called the Hawks. They later toured separately as Levon and the Hawks before Robertson, Danko and Richard Manuel began backing Bob Dylan as he transitioned from folk to rock.
Then the group struck out on their own with a returning Helm. Now simply known as the Band, they helped set a template for Americana with albums like Music From Big Pink, The Band and The Basement Tapes, the latter led by Dylan.
“We were so locked in, in a musicality, and in a personal way, that we invented something that had a big effect on the course of music,” Robertson later mused. “We weren’t trendy, because we didn’t know what the trend was — and didn’t want to. We were going into our own world, our own dimension, and discovering a musicality, a sound, everything.”
The ‘Royal Albert Hall’ Concert, released in 1998, documented Hudson and the Band’s then-controversial 1966 tour with Dylan as he went electric. Next, everyone gathered in a pink house near Woodstock in West Saugerties, New York, to explore their next musical adventures. Hudson served as curator for those genre-sparking recordings beginning in the summer of 1967. Bootlegs of the sessions pointed to a newfound focus on roots music that played out on their next official studio recordings, but the The Basement Tapes wouldn’t be released until 1975.
By then, Hudson had left an indelible musical stamp on the Band. Trained in piano and music theory, Hudson had a canny intuition for accompaniment. He’d take a conventional turn at the piano on favorites like “The Weight” and “Rag Mama Rag,” but also played sax on “Unfaithful Servant,” clavinet on “Up On Cripple Creek” and accordion on Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”
Listen to Garth Hudson’s ‘Genetic Method’
‘Most Advanced Musician in Rock ‘n’ Roll’
Robertson once argued that “Garth was far and away the most advanced musician in rock ‘n’ roll.” With Hudson, Helm said they “really thought we were the best band in the world.” His in-concert showcase found Hudson performing an extended introduction to “Chest Fever” on a signature Lowrey organ that became known as the “Genetic Method.” Hudson played all of the woodwinds and brass on 1975’s deeply underrated Northern Lights-Southern Cross even as he began mastering synthesizers.
Hudson worked as a sessions musician following The Last Waltz, which marked the end of the Band’s five-man lineup. Key appearances along the way included Van Morrison‘s Wavelength and Leonard Cohen‘s Recent Songs. Hudson played sax and accordion as part of Roger Waters‘ massive 1990 concert performance of Pink Floyd‘s The Wall in Germany at the Berlin Wall.
He could be professorial, with an interior manner that befuddled some interviewers. Late in life, Hudson would only talk to them after midnight. He might wander into a song in the middle of an answer – or he might not answer at all.
During one discussion about The Basement Tapes, BBC radio host Justin Webb memorably asked Hudson about the mood in the room back then. Hudson replied: “We were thinking, from beginning to end, that Bob Dylan was cool.”
Webb: “But what mood was he in?” Hudson: “As I told you, he was cool.” Webb: “You’re not going to go further than that?” Hudson: “There were no indications that he wasn’t anything other than cool.”
The Band’s Garth Hudson Returns to Big Pink
When Was Garth Hudson’s Last Performance?
The Band reunited without Robertson for regular tours in the ’80s, releasing a trio of albums beginning with 1993’s Jericho. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hudson co-produced and played on Burrito Deluxe’s 2004 album The Whole Enchilada, with Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers. He toured with his wife, Sister Maud, and an 11-piece band while also contributing to solo projects by Robertson, Danko and Helm.
Hudson performed “When I Paint My Masterpiece” with John Prine and “Chest Fever” with Dierks Bentley during 2013’s all-star Love for Levon benefit concert. His recordings then provided the roadmap for the sweeping look back on 2014’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete. He joined Warren Haynes on stage in 2017 for The Last Waltz 40 Tour: A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of ‘The Last Waltz’.
Only occasionally recording as a leader, Hudson released his first solo project Music for Our Lady Queen of the Angels in 1980. His next album, The Sea to the North, wouldn’t arrive until 2001. Live at the Wolf, performed in his hometown of London, Ontario, followed in 2005. One of his best-received projects found Hudson recruiting and collaborating on old Band material with a series of stars including Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn and Cowboy Junkies for 2010’s Garth Hudson Presents: A Canadian Celebration of the Band.
He worked well outside of traditional roots circles, making notable contributions to recordings, documentaries and concerts by Wilco, Neko Case, the Call, Cyndi Lauper, Daniel Lanois, Muddy Waters, North Mississippi All-Stars and the Lemonheads. Hudson’s most recent public appearance dated back to April 2023, when he performed Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” during a house concert at Flower Hill House in Kingston, New York. Manuel died in 1986, Danko in 1999, Helm in 2012 and Robertson in 2023.
