Earlier this year, Spinal Tap finally found a Stonehenge prop they’re happy with — the actual prehistoric monument, in Wiltshire, England. The semi-fictional meta rock titans secretly played what they’re billing as their last concert ever there earlier this year, with guests Eric Clapton, Josh Groban, and Shania Twain, and a film of the event is hitting theaters and IMAX sometime in 2026, according to a press release. The show, as captured in Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale, was the first-ever musical event allowed at the site.
“How fitting is it that this actual-probable-send-off is shot, historically, at Stonehenge, the mysterious landmark that we now know must have been erected thousands of years ago purely to serve as the setting for the last act of Spinal Tap,” said Kent Sanderson, CEO of Bleecker Street, the company that’s distributing the concert, which was produced by Vertigo Live.
Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest reunited with director Rob Reiner for last month’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the long-delayed sequel to 1984’s classic This Is Spinal Tap. The project, and the new concert film, were the result of a successful legal battle led by Shearer to get the rights to Tap back from the original studio.
“We sat and said, ‘Well, what do we do with this?’” said Reiner, who also revived his role as fictional director-interviewer Marty DiBergi. “At first we said, ‘Ah, forget it. We are not gonna do anything.’ And then we started talking.” The film, and Spinal Tap’s new album, also called The End Continues, included a performance of the song “Stonehenge” with Elton John on vocals.
McKean, who plays frontman David St. Hubbins, recently told Rolling Stone that he was content with the idea of ending the band. “If you only halfway exist, then vanishing altogether is not a big chore,” he said. “We don’t wanna ride it too long. It’s still fun in the studio. I don’t think this is the kind of age to be if you’re gonna go out on the road and do a real tour.”
