November 2021 Recap: Genesis Reunion Hits U.S., Dylan Begins Tour
UCR's biggest headlines from November 2021 focused largely on live music — a commodity we'd all taken for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of those stories were celebratory in nature, with major artists returning to the road after long breaks: Bob Dylan played his first show since 2019, part of a tour promoting 2020's Rough and Rowdy Ways. Genesis also kicked off the North American leg of their long-awaited (and previously delayed) reunion tour, The Last Domino? But another major story was tragic: Ten people were ultimately killed and hundreds more injured as a result of a crowd surge during Houston's Astoworld festival.
The month included the announcement of 2022's Grammy nominees, with acts like AC/DC, Foo Fighters and Mammoth WVH among the rock honorees. Martin Scorsese also boosted his Grateful Dead credentials by signing on as director and producer of an upcoming band biopic.
Revisit the biggest stories from November 2021 below.
Genesis Launch U.S. Leg of Reunion Tour
Genesis announced their long-awaited reunion tour at the absolute worst possible time: early March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic started to become reality. A few months later, the prog-rock trio postponed the trek into 2021, with their North American leg set to launch Nov. 15 — the first of two dates at Chicago's United Center. That opening show mirrored the static set list from their preceding European run, with one notable difference: swapping out the art-rock deep cut "Duchess" for shiny pop hit "Misunderstanding."
Read More: Genesis Kick Off North American Reunion Tour: Review and Set List
Bob Dylan Resumes Tour After Nearly Two-Year Hiatus
Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour resumed on Nov. 2, marking the end of a nearly two-year live hiatus. The songwriter kicked off his Rough and Rowdy Ways trek at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater, playing eight of that album's songs (all but “Crossing the Rubicon” and the 17-minute “Murder Most Foul") and dedicating the performance to late guitar icon Les Paul. "We know he was from here," Dylan said. "And we wanna honor him tonight with this show.”
Read More: Bob Dylan Returns to the Road: Set List and Video
Tragedy Strikes Astroworld Festival
While the month offered plenty of inspiring concert moments, it also brought a live music tragedy: Ten people died and hundreds more suffered injuries following a crowd surge incident during Astroworld, the Houston festival headlined by rapper Travis Scott on Nov. 5. Numerous investigations followed, while two security guards who worked the event filed a lawsuit after sustaining injuries themselves.
Read More: Eight Dead in Houston Music Festival Crowd Surge
Martin Scorsese Signs on for Grateful Dead Movie
Martin Scorsese already had one Grateful Dead project on his resume, having executive-produced the 2017 documentary Long Strange Trip. So who better to direct and produce Apple's official Dead biopic? The as-yet-untitled film, announced Nov. 18, will star Jonah Hill as late bandleader Jerry Garcia, with Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann serving on a team of executive producers alongside Garcia's daughter Trixie.
Read More: Martin Scorsese to Direct Grateful Dead Biopic
AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Mammoth WVH Earn Grammy Nods
A varied roster of rock-related artists including AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Mammoth WVH, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Cornell, Kings of Leon, Weezer, ABBA, Deftones, Black Pumas and David Byrne earned Grammy nominations for the 2022 ceremony, scheduled for Jan. 31. The Best Rock Album category features AC/DC’s Power Up, Foo Fighters’ Medicine at Midnight, McCartney’s McCartney III, the posthumous Cornell covers LP No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1 and Black Pumas’ Capitol Cuts - Live From Studio A. Nominees for Best Rock Song are McCartney ("Find My Way"), Foo Fighters ("Waiting on a War"), Mammoth WVH (“Distance”), Kings of Leon (“The Bandit”) and Weezer (“All My Favorite Songs”).
Read More: AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Mammoth WVH Among 2022 Grammy Nominees