Soundgarden’s New Album & Weeknd’s $1M Blackjack Gala

May 22, 2025
by RJ Hamster

👋 Hey friends — welcome back to Fans With Benefits, where the music isn’t just in your headphones, it’s in the headlines, the heart, and the hands that keep the beat alive. This week, we’re tuning into legacy and reinvention: from Soundgarden’s unearthed recordings with Chris Cornell to Rod Stewart’s victory lap at the AMAs, and The Weeknd placing high-stakes bets on justice reform.

We’ve also got a crowded tour calendar—from Billie Eilish’s expanding tour to CBGB’s punk revival, and a whole lot of sonic ground in between. Whether you’re planning your next pit stop or just keeping your ears to the ground, this week’s drop hits all the right notes.

What’s making noise:

A new Soundgarden album could see the light of day
The Weeknd to Headline $1M Blackjack Gala
10+ Events
- Live Nation Summer Deals
- Jon Batiste
- Billie Eilish
- CBGB Festival
- Jerry Cantrell

Ready your feed and your friends—here’s what’s shaping the sound right now. 🎧

🤘 Backstage Pass

A new Soundgarden album featuring late frontman Chris Cornell could see the light of day

Eight years after the loss of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden may have one more roar left in them. Bassist Ben Shepherd revealed on Instagram that the band has an as-yet-unnamed album in the vault—featuring unreleased vocals from Cornell—and hinted it could eventually see release. He reflected on the anniversary of Cornell’s death with raw emotion, calling the music a surge of “awe, camaraderie… and life force.”

One of the tracks, “The Road Less Traveled,” written by Cornell and drummer Matt Cameron, continues to echo in Shepherd’s head like “a proud spring bird.” He describes hearing Cornell’s voice again as a form of forgiveness, a weight lifting, a glacier falling from the chest.

The album would mark Soundgarden’s first since 2012’s King Animal and would be a powerful postscript to a legacy defined by both ferocity and vulnerability.

With their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction coming in November, guitarist Kim Thayil acknowledged the emotional difficulty of selecting a guest vocalist to honor Cornell’s place: “It’s a high bar… not just technically, but emotionally.” The band’s quiet openness to completing and sharing this final record is, for now, a whisper of possibility—but one that could soon reverberate with full force.

🫡 Artists Doing Good

The Weeknd to Headline $1M Blackjack Gala for Criminal Justice Reform

The Weeknd is going all in for criminal justice reform, headlining Reform Alliance’s star-studded gala on September 13 at Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resort. The event doubles as a $1 million blackjack tournament, hosted by Jay-Z and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, where guests pay up to $100,000 for a seat at the tables—and must be vetted by the org’s board.

Backed by high-rollers like Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, and Meek Mill, last year’s gala raised a staggering $24 million for Reform Alliance, the nonprofit working to overhaul probation and parole laws. With The Weeknd on the mic and $1M on the line, this year’s event is primed to top even that.

From sold-out stadiums to policy reform, Abel Tesfaye continues to prove he’s not just playing the charts—he’s playing for change.

📢 Sound Off

How Much Would You Pay to Own the Original Lyrics to “Hotel California”?

$1,000–$10,000 – A legendary song deserves legendary bragging rights.

$10,000–$25,000 – Rock history like this? That’s an investment, not a splurge.

$25,000–$50,000 – This isn’t paper—it’s sacred scroll status.

$50,000+ – Lock it in a vault, spotlight it like a museum piece, and make the Eagles proud.

🗳️ Cast your vote, and yes—we know you’ve got opinions. Let’s hear ’em.

The Rundown AI

Start learning AI in 2025

Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it!

That’s why over 1M professionals read Superhuman AI to stay ahead.

Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials
Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day
Become 10X more productive

🎶 Event Radar

The $30 Ticket to Summer deal is officially back—and it’s packing more star power than a festival main stage. For just 30 bucks (fees included), you can catch icons like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Billy Strings at the Outlaw Music Festival. Rock out with Primus, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle. Get soul-deep with St. Paul & The Broken Bones, or dance the night away with Trombone Shorty.

That’s not all—Halsey, Tash Sultana, Cyndi Lauper, Russ, Volbeat, The Offspring, Train, Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, and many more are hitting stages across the Northwest and beyond.

Over 5,000 shows. One price. No hidden fees. Just pure summer sound.

Get tickets here

Jon Batiste – The Big Money Tour

Fresh off critical acclaim and Grammy buzz, Jon Batiste brings The Big Money Tourto stages nationwide. Blurring jazz, soul, gospel, and pop into a genreless celebration of joy, the New Orleans native turns every show into a spiritual revival. It’s part concert, part communion, and all charisma.

Get tickets here

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft U.S. Tour Expansion

Already one of 2025’s most anticipated tours, Billie Eilish just expanded the U.S. leg of Hit Me Hard and Soft, adding a wave of new dates by overwhelming demand. Moody ballads, explosive visuals, and the kind of pin-drop intimacy few arena acts can pull off—this is pop spectacle with emotional depth. It’s Billie at her boldest, and fans won’t want to blink.

Get tickets here

CBGB Festival – 2025 Edition

Punk lives on in this downtown-turned-nationwide celebration of the spirit that defined CBGB. More than just a music fest, it’s a cultural time capsule, spotlighting legacy acts, DIY upstarts, and spoken word icons across NYC’s grittiest corners. From Lower East Side lofts to dive bar backrooms, CBGB Festival keeps the edge alive.

Get tickets here

Jerry Cantrell – I Want Blood Tour

Alice In Chains’ riff architect hits the road solo, delivering a mix of new material and haunting reinterpretations of his grunge-era classics. With signature sludge and soul, Cantrell’s live show is a slow burn — brooding, melodic, and built for the believers. It’s a rare glimpse at one of rock’s most quietly influential minds, front and center.

Get tickets here

Ice Nine Kills – 2025 Tour – Horror-core theatrics meet metalcore mayhem. Ice Nine Kills bring their blood-soaked stagecraft and cinematic sound back on tour. Not for the faint of heart. Get tickets here
Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter – Punk isn’t dead—it’s reincarnated. Frank Carter joins surviving Sex Pistols for a raucous, no-holds-barred revival tour. Expect chaos, charisma, and catharsis. Get tickets here
Wolf Alice – 2025 North American Tour – Alt-rock shapeshifters Wolf Alice return with their first full North American run in years. Shoegaze, grunge, indie pop—it’s all here, filtered through their electrifying live energy.Get tickets here
Dream Theater – The Parasomnia Tour 2025 – Prog metal titans Dream Theater dive deep into the subconscious with their Parasomnia tour. Expect virtuosic instrumentation, surreal visuals, and time signatures that defy logic. A lucid dream for the musically obsessed. Get tickets here
Dylan Gossett – The Westward Tour – Rising Texas troubadour Dylan Gossett hits the road with The Westward Tour, bringing his blend of Americana grit and acoustic intimacy to stages nationwide. One to watch before the venues get bigger. Get tickets here

🎤 Mic Drop

Rod Stewart will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 American Music Awards, marking his first AMA performance in over 20 years. With more than 50 Hot 100 hits to his name, the 80-year-old legend is set to deliver one of his “timeless classics” live on May 26. Read more here.

That’s a wrap for this week! Until next time, catch you in the pit—or next week’s email. 🎵🔥

Signing off,

The Fandiem Team

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here

16 Railroad Place #1081
Westport, CT 06880, United States of America

Breaking: Trump Admin Revokes Harvard’s Privilege to Enroll International Students

Enjoy Member Prices

RJ Hamster

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Soundgarden’s New Album & Weeknd’s $1M Blackjack Gala