Backroads: Five Hours of Live Country Music

Every song comes from a live show or a live album — no studio polish, just the genre’s biggest names on stage.

Step right up, country music fans. Backroads Live Country Radio is a five-hour stretch of non-stop live country, and every track in the lineup comes from a live show or a live album by the top artists in the genre’s history. It airs every Monday night on Live Jam, and tonight’s broadcast starts at 9 PM EST and runs until 2 AM.

Country has always been a live music story. The genre grew up on barroom stages, radio barn dances, and prison-yard concerts, and some of its most important recordings were made in front of a crowd. Backroads is built around that tradition, pulling from the landmark moments that put it on the map: Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Garth Brooks in Central Park, and the long run of performances in between.

The range is the point. Timeless classics from Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson sit alongside the modern hits of Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood, so a single night can move from decades-old ballads to current radio favorites. What ties it together is the sound of a real crowd and a real band, with the raw emotion that studio versions can’t quite capture.

So grab your boots and settle in. Backroads is on tonight at 9 PM EST, and it’s back every Monday night.

Listen on Live Jam Radio

The Who by Numbers Gets a 92-Track Super Deluxe Treatment

Lost multitrack tapes, unheard demos, and a full Keith Moon-era concert film headline a 50th anniversary box set.

The Who have officially announced a 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of The Who by Numbers, their seventh studio album, arriving October 30, 2026. The package is a 5CD and Blu-ray box set that gathers 92 unreleased live tracks and alternate mixes, all curated by Pete Townshend.

The album was originally released in October 1975 and went on to platinum certification, carrying fan favorites like “Squeeze Box” and “Slip Kid.” It has long been regarded as one of the band’s most personal and introspective records, a quieter, more weary set of songs than the operatic rock the group was known for. That makes a deep archival look especially appealing to longtime fans.

The reason collectors are paying close attention is the source material. A treasure trove of original, lost multitrack studio tapes was recently unearthed, which opened the door to a much deeper dive into the sessions than earlier reissues could offer.

Disc by disc

• CD 1: The Remastered Album. The original 10-track 1975 tracklist, newly remastered.
• CD 2: Pete Townshend Demos. Eleven of Townshend’s home demos, eight of which have never been heard by the public.
• CD 3: Ramport & Shepperton Studio Sessions. Unreleased tracking sessions, alternate takes, and studio jams from the original recording period.
• CD 4: Early Mixes & Vault Rarities. Unreleased guide vocals, early rough mixes, vintage radio advertisements, and a lost archival interview with the band.
• CD 5: Live at Vetch Field, Swansea (June 1976). A full, expanded live concert from the “Who Put the Boot In” UK stadium tour.
• Blu-ray: Immersive Audio & Live Concert Video. New high-resolution Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround, and stereo mixes overseen by Townshend, plus previously unseen restored footage of the band playing Pontiac, Michigan, on December 6, 1975.

That last item may be the biggest draw for historians. The Pontiac footage is one of the rare complete visual documents of Keith Moon’s final tour with the band, and having it restored and presented alongside a fresh immersive mix gives fans a way to see and hear the 1975 lineup at full strength.

The set ships in a rigid 12×12 slipcase with a 100-page hardback book of historical sleeve notes, rare photographs, and replicas of period memorabilia. The official announcement and preview details are on The Who’s website, and pre-orders are open through Interscope Records.

Sources: The Who, Ultimate Classic Rock, The Second Disc, Rolling Stone, Interscope Records

Trey Anastasio and Billy Strings Team Up for a Two-Night Benefit

Two of jam music’s biggest names share a stage for the Divided Sky Foundation, with every dollar aimed at addiction recovery.

Trey Anastasio and Billy Strings are coming together for A Benefit for Divided Sky at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21. The arena, formerly known as the Worcester Centrum, will host both nights as a charity series, with Anastasio and Strings performing together backed by the Trey Anastasio Band.

The pairing connects two generations of improvisational music. Anastasio is the founding guitarist and vocalist of Phish, and has spent decades leading one of the most devoted live followings in American music. Billy Strings, a Grammy Award-winning singer and guitarist, has taken his electrifying, genre-bending bluegrass to a new generation of fans, and has become one of the genre’s biggest live draws. Putting a Phish founder’s band behind Strings’ high-velocity acoustic picking promises something neither artist offers on a regular tour.

The cause is the real centerpiece. All proceeds from both concerts will benefit the Divided Sky Foundation, which works to make high-quality care more affordable and accessible to people struggling with addiction. It is a cause Anastasio has made central to his public life, and the concerts are an extension of work he started years ago.

For fans who follow both artists, the two-night format also makes it a rare chance to catch the collaboration more than once. Ticket details and on-sale information are available through Trey Anastasio’s official website.

Sources: Trey.com, Divided Sky Foundation

Inside the Divided Sky Foundation

Born from Trey Anastasio’s own recovery, the Vermont program offers a lower-cost, retreat-style path to sobriety.

The Divided Sky Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate, and affordable care for people struggling with alcoholism and substance use disorder. It is best known for founding and operating the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, a non-clinical, 46-bed drug and alcohol retreat housed in a renovated former hotel in Ludlow, Vermont.

Origin and vision

Anastasio established the foundation in 2019. He has spoken publicly about his own addiction and his long-term sobriety, which began under drug court supervision in the mid-2000s. He teamed up with his former drug court case manager, Melanie Gulde, to launch the center, building the project around what he learned in his own recovery.

Much of the initial money for the multi-million-dollar property came from Anastasio’s 2020 Beacon Jams, an eight-week virtual livestream residency from New York City’s Beacon Theatre. The series turned a pandemic-era concert run into the funding base for a permanent recovery facility.

Program and approach

Divided Sky uses an educational, retreat-style model rather than a traditional medication-focused or psychiatric clinic. It serves medically stable adults who have completed detox, and focuses on giving them the tools for independent sober living. The curriculum leans on several pillars:

• The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Emotional sobriety, meaning the cultivation of internal responses and self-worth.
• Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (M.O.R.E.) to manage triggers and stress.
• Holistic activities including daily nature walks, forest bathing, yoga, art workshops, and music-focused discussions.

Available programs

The Ludlow campus offers two main pathways. The Residential Recovery Program is a standard 30-day stay costing $7,500, a price the foundation deliberately keeps below industry norms, with partial scholarships available, including a dedicated Women’s Scholarship Fund. The Recovery Recharge Program is a one-week intensive retreat costing $1,875, designed for people already in sustained recovery, typically a year or more, who want to deepen their mindfulness practice and mental well-being.

The November concerts with Trey Anastasio Band and Billy Strings are aimed squarely at supporting that mission, helping the foundation keep care affordable for the people who need it.

Sources: Divided Sky Foundation, Trey.com, VTDigger

Pitchfork’s Festival Footprint Now Spans Three Continents

After Mexico City, the brand heads to Europe for a week of Paris and London shows from November 2 to 8.

Pitchfork started as an online music publication and has spent the past several years growing into a global festival brand. Its international footprint has now expanded significantly, reaching three continents, with the festival circuit in the middle of a busy fall run.

The most recent stop was the third annual Pitchfork edition in Mexico City, which featured American Football and Wendy Eisenberg on its bill. The pairing is a good snapshot of how Pitchfork books: a revered emo and indie band alongside an experimental guitarist, rather than a lineup built around the biggest radio names.

The circuit now heads to Europe for Pitchfork Paris and Pitchfork London, running November 2 through 8, 2026. The lineups lean into the same adventurous, critic-friendly programming, with headliners including Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, the Danish punk band Iceage, Panda Bear, and Noname.

Together, the bookings span electronic pop, post-punk, psychedelic experimentalism, and left-field hip-hop, which is exactly the range Pitchfork built its reputation on. For fans in Europe, it is a chance to see a set of artists that rarely share a stage in one trip.

Stephen Bishop Comes Out of Retirement for a Farewell Tour

Fifty years after his debut album Careless, the Oscar-nominated songwriter is hitting the road one last time with an all-star band.

Stephen Bishop is coming out of retirement for one final run. The Oscar-nominated and two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter has announced his 2027 Farewell Tour, a series of shows celebrating the 50th anniversary of his landmark debut album, Careless, first released in 1976.

Bishop will be joined on stage by an all-star band, and the shows are built to offer a full evening of music. The set will draw on Careless alongside the beloved hits that followed, including “On and On,” “Save It for a Rainy Day,” “Separate Lives,” and “It Might Be You.” A few new songs from THIMK, his final studio album, are also planned.

The tour is as much a storytelling night as a concert. Fans can expect stories from along the way and plenty of laughs, a format that has long been part of how Bishop connects with audiences. Folk singer-songwriter David Wilcox opens every show as special guest.

The decision to return is not a casual one. Bishop has described the tour as a chance to say thank you in person to the listeners who carried these songs through first loves, weddings, road trips, and the moments when a song takes someone straight back to the first time they heard it. By his own account, this will be his final tour, and he has said he would not have come out of retirement unless he knew he could deliver a great show.

For collectors, there is one more draw: fans who missed the Careless 50th anniversary vinyl will be able to buy it at the shows. Tickets went on sale October 9 at 10 a.m. PST, and more U.S. dates may be added in the future.

2027 Farewell Tour dates

• March 13 — Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), Phoenix, AZ — Sold out
• April 3 — North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL — Tickets
• April 8 — The Kent Stage, Kent, OH — Tickets
• April 10 — The Franklin Theatre, Franklin, TN — Tickets
• June 3 — Tupelo Music Hall, Derry, NH — Tickets
• June 5 — Garde Arts Center, New London, CT — Tickets
• June 10 — Edmond Town Hall, Newtown, CT — Tickets
• June 12 — Suffolk Theatre, Riverhead, NY — Tickets
• June 17 — Elkton Music Hall, Elkton, MD — Tickets
• June 19 — The Vogel, Red Bank, NJ — Tickets
• August 14 — Saban Theatre, Los Angeles, CA — Tickets
• August 21 — Balboa Theatre, San Diego, CA — Tickets
• October 21 — Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland — Tickets
• October 23 — Cadogan Hall, London, UK

For anyone in the Jersey area, the Red Bank stop at The Vogel on June 19 is the closest date, and the Phoenix show has already sold out, so the early dates may move quickly.

Danny Wimmer Presents Closes a Record 2026 Season Past 1.1 Million Fans

An independent promoter’s Sacramento finale pulled 180,000 fans, pushing its yearly total to a new high.

Independent festival powerhouse Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) has closed out what it is calling a historic, record-shattering 2026 live season. The final push came from Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, a four-day flagship event that drew 180,000 fans to see more than 140 rock and metal acts.

The Sacramento turnout lifted DWP’s total cumulative attendance for the season past the 1.1 million mark, a milestone for an independent operator in an industry where much of the touring and festival landscape is controlled by a few very large corporations.

DWP has built its business on a simple idea: dedicated rock and metal fans will travel for a festival that is programmed with them in mind. The company runs a slate of destination weekends, including Aftershock, Louder Than Life, and Sonic Temple, and uses large multi-day lineups to give fans a lot of music for the money.

The 1.1 million figure is also a useful data point at a time when plenty of attention has gone to struggles in the mid-tier touring market. A heavy, loud, loyal rock audience is showing up in very large numbers, and an independent promoter is the one collecting the record.

Source: CelebrityAccess

Backroads Live Country Radio

Before you log off, one more reminder: Backroads Live Country Radio is on tonight at 9 PM EST, five hours of non-stop live country music featuring every song from live shows and live albums by the top country artists in music history. Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and more, all on Live Jam. See you on the Backroads.