2024 in review: The most memorable music moments

Of course, we would not forget to mention Taylor Swift in 2024. She's still the queen when it comes to everything music these days.  The April release of her Grammy-nominated The Tortured Poets Department and the subsequent drop of The Anthology, which included a second batch of songs, only further solidified Swift as the most popular musical artist on the planet. Spotify named Swift its Global Artist of the Year after she generated more than 26.6 billion streams on the popular music platform. And then there was The Eras Tour ...

... Which, to no surprise, was the top-grossing world tour of 2024. The Eras Tour began in March 2023 and then continued in 2024, where stops included Asia, Europe, and North America. In total for 2024, the tour grossed $1.043 billion, according to Pollstar. To put things in perspective, Coldplay delivered the second-highest-grossing world tour of 2024, but still a distant $421.7 million. Rounding out the top five were Pink ($367.3 million), Luis Miguel ($261.5 million), and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ($251.3 million).

Just outside the top five on that Pollstar list of highest-grossing worldwide concerts was the Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds Tour. The 20-date North American trek, which ran from April through July, generated a cool $235 million -- a record for the band, which began its iconic run way back in 1962. Not bad for the legendary rockers, who boast legends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who each turned 81 in '24, and spry 77-year-old guitarist Ronnie Wood. 

So, while Taylor Swift continued dominating the music world, Beyoncé wasn't too far behind when it came to generating a much-talked musical moment. In late March, she released Cowboy Carter, an album with plenty of country flare that she reportedly chose to make, in part, as a way to show off her Texas roots and as an homage to black country musicians. A conceptual project, told as it was a radio program, Cowboy Carter was Beyoncé's eighth straight album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. But, she was not nominated at all for the 2024 Country Music Awards.

While Cowboy Carter should be considered one of the elite offerings of 2024, Beyoncé was not the only mainstream pop/rock/R&B artist to crossover to the country genre. Or, at least in the neighborhood. According to Spotify, monthly streams under the country genre increased by over 20 percent. Popular hip-hop artist Shaboozey continued his country trend with the mega-popular and No. 1 hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)." Meanwhile, the often confusing, hard-to-define Post Malone generated country success with "I Had Some Help," a collaboration with established country star Morgan Wallen 

Not to be cast aside, female OG Madonna grossed $178.8 million with The Celebration Tour. However, she also made news when two men sued the pop legend in early '24, accusing her of false advertising and negligent misrepresentation after she started three December 2023 Brooklyn concerts some two later than scheduled. The suit drew laughs around the music world, though the pair is not alone in wanting to discipline artists for messing with set times. No no surprise, the suit was dismissed, reportedly without a monetary settlement. 

Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs had an awful and reprehensible 2024. As of late December, Diddy's legal troubles continued to mount. In September, he was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution, which will force him to spend the foreseeable future behind bars. In addition, with two more sexual assault lawsuits in December, and is also dealing with several civil cases against him.   

It's safe to say that 2024 should go down as the year of the pop superstar's comeback. Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, and R&B hero Usher all put out long-awaited studio albums, achieving different levels of critical praise. Meanwhile, popular, polarizing rapper Kanye West also put out new music and power pop rockers Creed embarked on a popular tour that led to a resurgence in the 1990s, post-grunge, mainstream rock movement.

But, in terms of album comebacks in 2024, on the rock front, there might not have been a better release than Songs of a Lost World from The Cure." The first studio album in 16 years from the beloved, Hall-of-Fame mood rockers is something special. In actuality, it could also pass for a Robert Smith solo album, since the legendary frontman, who sounds better than ever, at age 65, wrote the entire record. Released in November, Lost World Paced by the usual, yet perhaps more mature, dark vibe from The Cure, the album topped the charts in the United Kingdom.

Speaking of 2024 comebacks. Justin Timberlake released Everything I Thought It Was, his first studio album since 2018. And while the record received relatively lukewarm reviews, his associated tour has managed to churn on with plenty of fanfare. The well-attended The Forget Tomorrow World Tour did not take a hit following Timberlake's arrest for driving while intoxicated in the Hamptons in June. Timberlake pleaded guilty, showed plenty of remorse and was essentially above to move on without much public damage.

Arguably, the summer belonged to Charli XCX, who enjoyed quite the Brat summer. Released in early June, the renowned English singer's Brat album seemed to transcend the music that made it popular while topping the charts in multiple countries and debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The Brat term and vibe began a pop culture phenomenon and even seeped into the political arena during this 2024 presidential election cycle. 

The summer of 2024 might have belonged to Charli XCX, heavy metal fans got their due in a most historic way. On July 26, popular French band Gojira became the first metal band to be included and perform during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. In this case, it made sense since the 2024 Summer Games were held in Paris. However, Gojira's inclusion was not without controversy, as some uptight conservatives thought there were satanic undertones to the performance. We'll call it a gold-medal-winning performance.

Sure, Taylor, Beyoncé, Charli, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter all enjoyed various levels of professional success in 2024, but don't forget just how massive 2024 was for Billie Eilish. She won her second Academy Award and two more Grammy Awards for "What Was I Made For?," from Barbie.  In May, Eilish released her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which, including its songs, received seven Grammy nominations and was followed by a successful tour. She collaborated with Charli XCX on the popular "Guess" and was named Apple Music's Artist of the Year for 2024.

Technically, Aerosmith has not broken up, just retired from touring due to Steven Tyler's continued vocal issues, as announced by the band in early August. That said, if by some chance Tyler is able to recuperate well enough to take the stage and re-start — and eventually finish — the band's recently canceled farewell tour, it would truly be something special. Aerosmith has always been a resilient band, and the possibility of another studio effort remains possible.

First, and perhaps most importantly, there is no guarantee the brothers Gallagher will actually pull off the highly anticipated Oasis reunion that the masses have long been clamoring to happen but thought would never see. Well, in late August 2024, it was announced Noel and Liam would get together to tour under the famed band moniker. Arguably the hottest rock ticket for 2025, when the tour begins July 4 in Wales, then plays spots in the U.K. before heading to the States, Mexico, Asia, South America and Australia. Of course, tickets were gone in a heartbeat and steeped in controversy. The fun has already begun.

Jane's Addiction never shied away from drama during its celebrated but dysfunctional career — notably, the on-again-off-again trials of guitarist Dave Navarro. However, in the most recent incident related to anybody on this list, agitated lead singer Perry Farrell confronted, bumped and appeared to punch Navarro during a September 2024 show in Boston. The drama allegedly continued backstage, and Ferrell again got physical with Navarro. Both the band and Farrell's camp issued statements saying the remainder of the tour was canceled, the band would be on hiatus and Ferrell would seek help for his apparent issues. 

While heavy metal gods Iron Maiden are still going strong as it embarks on 50 years of rock dominance, beloved drummer Nicko McBrain played his last live show with the legendary band in early December in Brazil. Iron Maiden announced that the 72-year-old McBrain, who has been with the group since 1982 and endured some health issues in recent years, has retired from touring but plans to still contribute to the outfit through various projects. Prominent drummer Simon Dawson, who has worked with Maiden bassist Steve Harris over the years, will take over for McBrain.

One of the most anticipated moments in rock this year didn't actually involve any music or start of a tour. Instead, it was the Fall release of Alex Van Halen's book "Brothers." It delivers a rather in-depth look into the drummer's relationship with legendary guitarist brother Eddie. From their upbringing through the latter's 2020 death. While Alex describes Eddie's brilliance as a musician, he also throws criticism toward his brother for such moments like playing the solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It" or his prolonged battles with addiction. Meanwhile, Alex hardly mentions veteran Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and popular frontman Sammy Hager. But, there is heaps of some questionable praise for original singer David Lee Roth, who had a contentious relationship with Eddie. 

Arguably the most anticipated movie of the year was the musical film version of the legendary stage offering that still enjoys icon status. Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo and pop superstar Ariana Grande star as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glenda the Good, respectively. Moviegoers flocked to theaters to sing upon its late November release along with the popular (pun intended) tunes, which at times turned off others in attendance, even though critics were not always positive of the film. 

Wicked wasn't the only highly anticipated movie-related film to come out in 2024. With a December release, A Complete Unknown  continues to draw praise and is poised to dominate the upcoming awards season. Notably, the starring performance from Timothée Chalamet, who is exceptional as Bob Dylan, portrays the legend from his early folk-fused days to the controversy his decision to go electric had on his fans and the music world. Meanwhile, Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro are equally convincing as fellow folk icons Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, respectively.