The Rock Music Legend/Legends The Rolling Stones

[euncu]

How should we treat a body or an entity that is comprised of people as; Singular or plural? I mean ;
Is it ; The Rock Music Legend The Rolling Stones or The Rock Music Legends The Rolling Stones ?
Is it ; Metallica play a concert or Metallica plays a concert ?

I mostly tend to treat them as one unit so I use the singular form but I see some people do the opposite and it is confusing sometimes.

Thanks for your answers in advance.

 

[Tarheel]

I think you can look at it either way, and people do.

 

[jutfrank]

Although you can look at it either way, what's most likely depends from cases to case.

In the case of rock bands, it's more likely to think of multiple things. Metallica are playing tomorrow night.

 

[Tarheel]

Well, I don't know about rock bands, but I say the Tar Heels are playing playing Saturday. Or something like that. However, I would say UNC is playing Duke.

 

[euncu]

Thanks for all the replies.

As far as I understand from your answers, calling The Rolling Stones ; The Rock Music Legends would sound more natural to a native speaker's ears than the singular form.

 

[SoothingDave]

Although you can look at it either way, what's most likely depends from cases to case.

In the case of rock bands, it's more likely to think of multiple things. Metallica are playing tomorrow night.

In AmE, the verb would tend to follow the name. The Stones are playing. Metallica is playing.

Of course, we tend to use singular with collective nouns, unlike in BrE. Congress is. Parliament are.