👋 What’s up, music lovers — welcome back to Fans With Benefits, your not-so-gentle reminder that the music world never sleeps (and neither should your group chat).

This week, Metallica proves once again they’re as hardcore about giving back as they are about melting faces—dropping $65K to feed the hungry in Syracuse. Meanwhile, Phish rides a wave of fan power to the top of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Fan Vote, making their case for a long-overdue induction. And if your calendar isn’t packed yet, just wait—the 2025 tour lineup is bursting with must-sees, from Ice Cube’s hard-hitting Truth To Power victory lap to Death Cab’s indie heartbreak parade.

Here’s what’s hot:

• Phish Tops Rock Hall Fan Vote

• Metallica Drops $65K for Syracuse

• 10+ Events

  • Death Cab for Cutie

  • Ice Cube

  • Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens

  • The Doobie Brothers

  • Stevie Nicks

Turn it up, text your crew, and let’s dive in. 🎧

🤘 Fan Favorites

Phish Tops Rock Hall Fan Vote

The jam band juggernauts have spoken—or rather, their fans have. Phish just snagged the top spot in the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Fan Vote, racking up a hefty 330,000 votes and leaving no doubt that the Phish faithful show up hard.

Trailing behind but still riding strong, Bad Company grabbed second with 281,000 votes, followed by punk-glam hero Billy Idol in third at 260,500. The top five rounded out with Cyndi Lauper and Joe Cocker, while grunge gods Soundgarden were just shy of cracking that upper tier. But here’s the catch: winning the fan vote doesn’t guarantee induction. (Just ask Dave Matthews Band, who won big with fans back in 2020 but got snubbed—though they made it in four years later.) Whether Phish rides this wave all the way to induction remains to be seen, but for now, they’re sitting pretty at the top of the people’s choice podium. 🏆

🫶 Artists Doing Good

Metallica Gives Back: Fighting Hunger, Fueling Communities

Metallica just dropped $65,000 in grants on Syracuse—because when they roll through your city, they make sure to leave more than just ringing ears. Through their All Within My Hands Foundation (AWMH), the band funded the Food Bank of Central New York ($45,000, thanks to a Carhartt match) and the Syracuse Northeast Community Center ($20,000), tackling food insecurity and supporting essential local services. Even better? Fifteen Metallica fans from five countries rolled up their sleeves to pack 1,200 bags of food for local school kids ahead of the first M72 tour stop. 🤘

The Syracuse Northeast Community Center, serving 7,500 community members—most living below the poverty line—will use the funds to power their Basic Needs Program, which supplies over 11,000 meals and 12,000 diapers every month. Metallica’s not just showing up for the encores—they’re showing up for the community. And if you want to join their mission, there’s still time to enter another charity sweepstakes on Fandiem: a chance to score the ultimate side-stage experience at Black Sabbath’s farewell show in the U.K.—with Metallica on the bill, of course. Donations support AWMH’s global community-building efforts. 🖤

📢 Sound Off

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

🎶 Event Radar

Death Cab for Cutie – 2025 Tour

 Cue the heartbreak anthems and indie nostalgia—Death Cab for Cutie is back on the road in 2025, ready to hit you right in the feels (in the best way possible). With their signature mix of poetic lyrics and lush melodies, their live show feels like a group therapy session where the soundtrack is perfect. Whether you're here for the classics or the new gems, this is one tour that promises maximum emotional payoff.

Get tickets here

Ice Cube – Truth To Power: 4 Decades Of Attitude Tour

Ice Cube isn’t just hitting the road—he’s storming it. The hip-hop legend and Rock Hall inductee is bringing four decades of raw, unfiltered energy to arenas across North America this fall on his Truth To Power tour, his first major solo headlining run since 2011. Expect a powerhouse set packed with N.W.A anthems, solo hits like “It Was a Good Day,” and fresh fire from his latest album Man Down. Cube calls it “more than a tour—it’s a 40-year celebration,” so yeah, you’re gonna want to be in the building for this one.

Get tickets here

Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens – I Can't Hear You World Tour

Post-hardcore heroes Pierce The Veil are back and louder than ever with their I Can’t Hear You world tour, crashing into cities with a tidal wave of riffs, raw emotion, and throat-shredding sing-alongs. Kicking off June 6 in Minneapolis at The Armory, they’re bringing Sleeping With Sirens along for the ride—because more chaos is always better.

Get tickets here

The Doobie Brothers – Walk This Road Tour

Classic rock never goes out of style, and The Doobie Brothers are here to remind us why. With harmonies smoother than a glass of top-shelf whiskey and guitar licks that age like fine wine, their 2025 tour is a masterclass in timeless cool. Whether you're a lifer or a first-timer, this is your chance to catch living legends doing what they do best.

Get tickets here

Stevie Nicks – 2025 Solo Tour (New Dates Announced)

The high priestess of rock is extending her spellbinding run across North America, adding a fresh leg of summer and fall dates to her 2025 tour with new stops in Boston, Toronto, Las Vegas, and more. Whether she's casting a hush over arenas with "Landslide" or summoning a full-on sing-along with "Edge of Seventeen," Stevie proves time and again that her mystique never fades. Bonus: select stadium shows with Billy Joel crank the legend factor all the way up.

Get tickets here

• Melissa Etheridge – Yes We Are Tour – Melissa Etheridge brings her signature raspy vocals and rock-soul fire to the stage for a tour packed with heart and grit. Get tickets here

• Thomas Rhett – Better in Boots Tour – Thomas Rhett delivers feel-good country anthems and sing-along love songs for a fall tour full of heart. Get tickets here

• Tate McRae – Miss Progressive Tour – Tate McRae hits the road with confessional pop bangers and dance-fueled heartbreak vibes that cut deep. Get tickets here

• The Driver Era – Obsession Tour – The Driver Era roll out their slick alt-pop vibes and electric energy on tour this summer. Catch the duo live when the show kicks off May 30. Get tickets here

• The Used – 25-Year Anniversary Tour  – The Used have just announced the second leg of their tour. With a career’s worth of emotional wreckage and fist-pumping hooks, this anniversary tour is pure catharsis with a side of nostalgia. Get tickets here

🎤 Mic Drop

The Guinness World Record for largest music festival crowd goes to the Donauinselfest in Vienna, Austria — over 3.3 million people attended in 2015. (Imagine that porta-potty situation. 😅)

That’s a wrap for this week! Until next time, keep the bass thumping and the coffee brewing. 🎵🔥

Signing off,

The Fandiem Team