Photo Credit: Fever

Fever secures over $100 million in funding to expand its position in live experiences, namely music and sports.

Fever has now secured over $100 million in funding from L Catterton and Point72 Private Investors through the completion of an equity funding process, including existing investors, according to details shared this morning with Digital Music News.

The technology platform—now operating in over 40 countries—has structured partnerships with a number of institutions across all live entertainment verticals, specifically within sports and live music. Fever now reaches hundreds of millions of people through its discovery platform and media, according to the company.

Fever says it has built a multi-category, data-driven ecosystem that connects millions of fans worldwide with venues, festivals, and independent promoters.

Some recent marquee partnerships include independent promoters like TCE Presents, Cercle Music, and Last Tour; iconic venues like the Clapham Grand and Brooklyn Storehouse; and festivals like Rock in Rio Lisboa, Primavera Sound, and Pitchfork Music Festival.

The platform also provides ticketing and demand generation for sports organizations and events including Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, LIV Golf, and the X Games.

On the revenue side, Fever says it has achieved over 20x revenue growth from pre-pandemic levels, while maintaining full-year EBITDA profitability.

Fever says it is now exploring opportunities to work with the New York Mets, owned by Point72 Chairman and CEO Steve Cohen, to further enhance fan engagement through experiences.

Fever will also leverage L Catterton’s consumer insights and look to unlock new opportunities to engage audiences through experiential marketing and branded events, in line with the growing trend of brands leveraging live experiences to strengthen customer connections.

Photo Credit: TC Restaurant Group (Post Malone)

Post Malone has partnered with TC Restaurant Group to open a Nashville entertainment venue under his name. The new venue will be designed around honky tonk grit and country soul with 26,000 square feet featuring six bars, three stages, and a full-service dining room and rooftop.

The venue will be located at 305 Broadway, right down the road from Morgan Wallen’s This Tennessee Bar & Kitchen (also a TC Restaurant Group property). Right now the building is undergoing construction to remaster the spaces, while preserving historical architecture and combining them into one cohesive experience. Posty’s venue will be Broadway’s largest ground floor blueprint.

“We’ve created a space where everyone can come together and kick some ass,” Post Malone said about the announcement. “Nashville has really become a second home for me so I can’t wait to invite y’all over to my house.”

“Post Malone is one of the most influential and gravitational artists of our time, and we’re thrilled to partner with him on this exciting concept,” adds Adam Hesler, President & CEO of TC Restaurant Group. “We’re honored to work with someone as dynamic as he is and create a venue that embodies his spirit and brings a new experience to Nashville’s Entertainment District.”

“There’s only one reason we would consider expanding our artist partnerships. That’s to have the ability to partner with someone of this caliber, innovation, and authenticity as Post. His talent and ability to transcend multiple genres is one of a kind, and we look forward to creating a venue that resonates with his global fanbase.”

TC Restaurant Group is well known across the United States for its successful management and operations of celebrity branded restaurant venues. Those include Morgan Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, Luke Combs’ 32 Bridge, Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, and Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up.

Most recently, Post Malone released his debut country album F-1 Trillion, which landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This spring, Posty headlined Coachella before hitting the road on his ‘Big Ass Stadium’ tour, following his record-breaking F-1 Trillion Tour last fall.

Photo Credit: Fyre Hotels

Convicted frauster Billy McFarland’s Fyre Festival do-over failed after local officials revealed the ‘festival’ did not have the required permits. Now McFarland is trying again with a newly dubbed ‘Fyre Coral View Pop-Up’ on Utila—a small island in Honduras.

This new event is slated for September 3 – 10, 2025 and appears to follow the same setup as Fyre Festival 2. This attempt is being marketing as an ‘adventure-infused’ island getaway. That was supposedly the same appeal of Fyre Festival 2, which was supposed to be held on Isla Mujeres off the cost of Cancún, Mexico. But local Isla Mujeres officials took to social media to deny any involvement in the festival as advertised. Organizers then shifted the event to Playa del Carmen, another well-known Mexican resort spot.

Authorities from Playa del Carmen also publicly denied that Fyre Festival 2 could be held there, based on a lack of records for permits for such a festival. Organizers posted photos of the supposed permits, but those ‘proof’ photos were just permits granted to local hotels for small gatherings of up to 300 people—not the massive destination festival that was being advertised.

This latest attempt at resurrecting the failed Fyre name comes as a collaboration between McFarland and Heath Miller, a former New York concert promoter. Miller is the current owner of the Coral Villa Utila resort in Honduras. However, marketing for this pop-up event appears to be more in line with what Fyre Festival 2 actually would have been if it went through. It’s positioned as a pop-up and ‘low-key experience’ for 300 to 400 guests. Fyre Festival 2 ticket holders are not guaranteed entry.

Room rates for this pop-up event appear to start at $198 per night for singles and up to $449 for a four-person room with access to the event during booking. Miller has stressed that the pop-up event will not feature a star-studded line-up and at the time of writing, no artists have been confirmed to be on board. The focus is on bringing global attention to this ‘off the map gem’ of an island rather than creating a massive destination music festival.

Skepticism around anything Fyre related remains high after the 2017 debacle that resulted in McFarland going to prison. Whether this pop-up will deliver on an event that is worth talking about remains to be seen. So far, the marketing seems to be more honest than previous attempts—acknowledging the small-scale resort focus rather than massive weekend to attract big dollar ticket buyers.

Photo Credit: Rod Stewart by Joe Bielawa / CC by 2.0

Rod Stewart postpones his performance at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace four hours before showtime due to an unnamed illness.

Sir Rod Stewart called in sick just four hours before he was scheduled to hit the stage at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Sunday night. The 80-year-old rock and roll legend posted to his Instagram Stories to give fans the news, while Caesars Palace also confirmed the postponement.

“I am sorry to inform you that I’m not feeling well and my show tonight at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is being rescheduled to June 10,” wrote Stewart. “Your tickets will be valid for the new date.”

Later this month, the legendary artist is slated to perform at Glastonbury as one of the oldest artists to play the UK festival. He has confirmed the show will feature a Faces reunion with Ronnie Wood. Throughout the summer, Stewart will also perform more shows across North America for his One Last Time World Tour, and will continue with his 200-show residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace through the fall.

Stewart was forced to cancel a few shows in Las Vegas last summer due to a combination of strep throat and COVID. Last week, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 American Music Awards.

“I love what I do, and I do what I love,” Stewart said in an Instagram post last year. “I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 meters in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79.”

“This will be the end of large-scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire,” he said, speaking on his One Last Time farewell tour. “I’d like to move onto a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour the year after next—smaller venues and more intimacy,” Stewart explained. “But then again, I may not.”

Photo Credit: Kneecap

Kneecap are getting ready to play their largest show outside of Ireland at Wembley Arena in London. The 12,500 capacity event comes at a time when the group is facing criticism for promoting proscribes terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

After being removed from Glasgow’s TRNSMT festival due to police concerns—organizers cited the need for a “significant policing operation” if the group were to perform—the rap trio quickly pivoted. They announced a new show at the O2 Academy in Glasgow and sold-out the show in just 30 seconds when tickets became available.

Fans at Wembley can expect a setlist spanning their acclaimed albums 3CAG and Fine Art, alongside singles like “H.O.O.D.” and “Its Been Ages.” The Wembley Arena show is also the centerpiece for a packed summer; Kneecap has several other dates slated including Glastonbury, Dublin’s Fairview Park, 2000 Trees, and Sziget in Budapest.

Kneecap’s set at Coachella this year drew international headlines for its pro-Palestinian messaging and anti-Israel sentiment—prompting calls for visa revocation. Their first set at Weekend 1 for Coachella was censored, while the second weekend featured the group getting the crowd to lead a chant of ‘Maggie’s in a box’ a reference to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The fallout from their appearance at Coachella included the loss of their booking agent and cancellations of several appearances at European music festivals.

Kneecap member Mo Chara (real name Liam Og O Hannaidh) faces a terror charge in London. The charge stems from footage showing the rapper chanting support for Hamas and Hezbollah, both proscribed terrorist organizations in the UK. Mo Chara has denied these allegations, dismissing them as a “carnival of distraction.” He is scheduled to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18. Despite the controversy, the group has no shortage of upcoming tour dates.

Summer 2025 — Kneecap Europe & UK Tour Dates

June

• 06 | NorthSide Festival — Denmark
• 08 | Primavera — Barcelona, Spain
• 11 | Rock for the People Festival — Czech Republic
• 14 | Best Kept Secret — Netherlands
• 19 | Fairview Park — Dublin (SOLD OUT)
• 28 | Glastonbury — England

July

• 2 – 4 | The Depo — Plymouth, England
• 05 | Finsbury Park — London
• 06 | Eurockéennes — France
• 10 | 2000 Trees Festival — England
• 11 | TRNSMT — Scotland (CANCELLED)
• 13 | Rockwave Festival — Greece

August

• 01 | Off Festival — Poland
• 07 | Way Out West — Sweden
• 08 | Øya Festival — Norway
• 09 | Flow Festival — Finland
• 11 | Sziget — Hungary
• 14 | Green Man — Wales
• 15 | Wythenshawe Park — England
• 16 | Pukkelpop — Belgium
• 17 | Cabaret Vert — France
• 24 | Rock en Seine — France
• 29 | Vital — Belfast, Ireland

September

• 05 | Paradiso — Amsterdam
• 06 | Paradiso — Amsterdam
• 18 | Wembley Arena — London, England

Seated co-founders John Griffin (left) and David McKay, who’ve reacquired their company from Sofar Sounds. Photo Credit: Seated

Four years and change after selling to Sofar Sounds, Seated has officially been reacquired by its founders.

Seated co-founder and CEO David McKay, whose ticketing platform says it helps artists “gain fan insights and sell more” concert passes, announced the newly finalized deal in a brief blog post.

According to that message, the repurchase arrived as Somerville, Massachusetts-headquartered Sofar zeroes in “on their amazing global experiences business” under CEO Warren Webster, who came aboard in October 2024.

“Seated has achieved remarkable growth under Sofar Sounds’ ownership these last four years, becoming a vital partner to some of the biggest artists in the world,” Webster said in a statement to DMN. “We’re proud to have been part of that story, and as Sofar focuses on meeting the increasing demand in our communities for live experiences, we’re thrilled that Seated will continue to grow with its founders at the helm.

“At Sofar we are ramping up our efforts to bring even more people together through unforgettable live music experiences in unexpected places, as well as comedy, dance, art, food, wine and more. Our communities around the world are looking for more access to community and culture, and Sofar aims to deliver when it’s needed the most,” the former Atlas Obscura CEO concluded.

Eight-year-old Seated opted against publicly disclosing the transaction’s financials. But it did mention a number of its artist users – among them Ed Sheeran, Brandi Carlile, and Jelly Roll – and tout its operational vision as a standalone entity.

“This re-acquisition gives us the flexibility and focus to go deeper,” McKay summed up. “We’re doubling down on what we do best – building great software for artists to own their ticketing, capture and activate their fan data, and grow meaningful relationships with the people showing up to their shows.”

Of course, at the intersection of ticket-pricing concerns and a growing superfan emphasis, the highlighted objectives are even more relevant now than they were when Sofar bought Seated.

At least from the outside looking in, the process of splitting Seated from Sofar doesn’t appear to have been too involved. Worth reiterating here is that the parties at the time of their February 2021 deal clarified that Seated would “keep operating their services independently.”

On the personnel front, Billboard indicated that McKay will remain at the helm of the once-again-independent company, with CTO and fellow co-founder John Griffin also staying aboard. Per its LinkedIn profile, Seated has between two and 10 employees (with some claiming roles at both the business and Sofar).

In the bigger picture, following recent years’ avalanche of music-space acquisitions, Seated isn’t alone in selling back to its founders and original owners.

Likewise part of the list are ROSTR and Absolute Label Services (which Utopia Music offloaded in February and July 2023, respectively) as well as SoundBetter and Soundtrap (sold by Spotify in October 2021 and June 2023, respectively), to name a few.

Photo Credit: Midwest Dreams Music Festival

The Midwest Dreams Music Festival at World Wide Technology Raceway was postponed following a catastrophic tornado that struck St. Louis on May 16. It highlights unforeseen circumstances that festival organizers are facing in an already razor-thin margin live entertainment industry.

Organizers describe the tornado as “the worst tornado in St. Louis area history” with widespread destruction, collapsed buildings, and entire neighborhoods in need of aid. With additional storms forecasted, festival organizers made the difficult decision to delay the event to ensure the safety of attendees, artists, and staff.

The new date for Midwest Dreams this year has been confirmed as November 1, 2025. All purchased tickets will automatically transfer to the rescheduled date, though ticket holders have a limited window to request refunds. While the artist lineup—originally featuring Dom Dolla, Diplo, Acraze, and YDG—may see changes, organizers have reassured fans they are working to preserve the spirit and quality of the festival.

In response to the disaster, Midwest Dreams is donating 15% of ticket sales to tornado relief efforts. Organizers are joining forces with local sponsors, affiliates, and city personnel to provide supplies and support for those in affected communities. “We want to express our sincere condolences to all those affected by the recent storms,” said John Soell, Founder of Midwest Dreams.

“Our festival is about more than just music—it’s about community. We look forward to bringing our festival to metro St. Louis when the time is right and are planning important partnerships with local non-profit organizations.”

Severe weather, economic pressures, and logistical challenges have led to a surge in festival postponements and cancellations in 2024 and 2025.

Dozens of music festivals across the world have faced similar fates, with some industry trackers reporting a 20% increase in cancellations compared to pre-pandemic years. The Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago threw in the towel, while GoldenSky Country Music Festival in Sacramento took a one-year hiatus. Meanwhile, the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC canceled its 2025 season due to unresolved labor negotiations between management and staff.

Festivals like Music Midtown (Atlanta), Kickoff Jam (Florida), Made in America (Philadelphia), and Firefly Music Festival (Delaware) have all been canceled or have not returned since 2022. Even iconic music festivals like Coachella and Electric Forest are feeling the squeeze as unsold tickets linger for months with noticeable drops in demand.

Photo Credit: Anna Lee

Stanford Stadium hosted Coldplay for two sold-out dates as the band launches the North American leg of its Music Of the Spheres World Tour.

Stanford Stadium opened its doors to music for the first time to welcome the group on May 31 and June 1. The band performed to an elated audience, delivering a full set of songs from their latest global #1 album Moon Music. They also performed classics including “Yellow,” “Viva La Vida,” “Paradise,” “Fix You,” “The Scientist,” “A Sky Full of Stars” and many more.

This show featured Coldplay’s hallmark visual experience, replete with LED wristbands, confetti bursts, lasers, and fireworks lighting up the sporting venue in spectacular fashion. Support for these North American Dates came courtesy of Willow and Elyanna, both of whom were met with thunderous applause from the early evening crowd in attendance.

Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour has now sold over 12 million tickets globally—the most ever for a single tour. It firmly establishes the band as a cultural and touring phenomenon, while establishing a baseline for environmentally responsible live entertainment.

Lasts summer, Coldplay issued an update on their sustainability initiatives, revealing that their current tour has produced 59% fewer CO2e emissions than their previous stadium tour in 2016/2017. That exceeds their original target of achieving a 50% reduction in emissions. More than 9 million trees have already been planted around the world—with a further million to be planted.

Coldplay — Music of the Spheres World Tour Dates

JUNE

• 06 | Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 07 | Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 10 | Denver, CO — Empower Field at Mile High – SOLD OUT
• 13 | El Paso, TX — Sun Bowl Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 14 | El Paso, TX — Sun Bowl Stadium – SOLD OUT

JULY

• 07 | Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 08 | Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 11 | Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 12 | Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 15 | Boston, MA — Gillette Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 16 | Boston, MA — Gillette Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 19 | Madison, WI — Camp Randall Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 22 | Nashville, TN — Nissan Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 26 | Miami, FL — Hard Rock Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 27 | Miami, FL — Hard Rock Stadium – SOLD OUT

AUGUST

• 18 | Hull, UK — Craven Park Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 19 | Hull, UK — Craven Park Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 22 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 23 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 26 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 27 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 30 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 31 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT

SEPTEMBER

• 03 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 04 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 07 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT
• 08 | London, UK — Wembley Stadium – SOLD OUT

Photo Credit: Live Nation / Capital Pride Alliance

Shakira cancellations are piling up with yet another show this week. Complications prevented her team from getting her set in Washington, D.C. ready in time.

Colombian singer Shakira was scheduled to perform at Fenway Park in Boston on May 29 and May 30, but was forced to cancel just hours before showtime on Thursday due to production issues. Then, Shakira was slated to perform on May 31 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., for World Pride 2025. However, her production team ran into some snags related to the Boston show, leading to yet another cancellation.

“Due to complications with the previous show in Boston, Shakira’s full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C. in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 31,” read a message by the official Nationals Park account on Instagram.

Refunds will be issued automatically for purchases made through Ticketmaster and Nationals Park’s official website, with no further action required. Those with tickets purchased through third-party resellers are encouraged to contact the point of purchase directly.

Shakira shared her own message on her Instagram Stories shortly after the second cancellation. “Nothing more painful for an artist than having to cancel two sold-out stadium shows like Boston and DC for reasons beyond one’s control,” she wrote. “Thank you for being there in the good times and the not so good. We’ve cruised together through every bump in the road, and you always take me to the other side.”

But some fans aren’t as understanding. “You need to stop hiring friends as tour managers,” wrote one user on Instagram. “That’s enough cancellations for the first leg. Enough!!”

“And yet Beyoncé’s concerts are way more intricate and has a lot more production and she never has any issues,” another commented.

“Does Shakira understand how disrespectful these cancellations are to her fans and to the people who spent thousands of dollars to come see her?” asked someone else.

Shakira still has over a dozen additional tour dates scheduled through the end of June. Her next scheduled appearance is in Atlanta on June 2, followed by stops in Orlando on June 4, and Miami on June 6 and 7.

Photo Credit: Fenway Park

Two concerts at Fenway Park have been abruptly canceled. Fans eager to see Shakira tonight (May 29) and Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn (May 30) will now receive refunds.

The Boston ballpark made the announcement on their Instagram. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Shakira and Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn performances originally scheduled for May 29 and May 30 respectively at Fenway Park have been canceled,” the announcement reads. “Refunds will be available at your point of purchase. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Shakira was slated to play tonight, while Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn were supposed to take the stage on Friday night. Both shows were canceled, with Live Nation revealing more details about why. According to them, structural elements supporting the stage were deemed potentially unsafe during a routine pre-concert check. No one was injured, but both concerts are being canceled out of an abundance of caution. Live Nation did not immediately identify who performed the pre-concert check.

Several major concerts are scheduled at Fenway Park for the summer 2025 season as part of the Nucar Fenway Concert Series. Barring these last two May performances, several upcoming performances for the Boston ballpark include:

• June 23 & 24 | Hozier: Unreal Unearth Tour
• July 17 & 18 | The Lumineers: The Automatic World Tour
• July 19 | Thomas Rhett: Better In Boots Tour
• August 23 | Jonas Brothers: Jon20 The Dream Tour
• August 25 | Chris Brown: Breezy XX Tour
• August 26 | The Who
• September 7 | My Chemical Romance

So far, just the May dates for Shakira, Jason Aldean, and Brooks & Dunn have been canceled. Presumably the park will address stage issues found during these pre-concert checks and the rest of the summer series will go off without a hitch. They’ve got nearly a month before Hozier is set to take the stage in June. The city of Boston has not responded to press requests for comment about the concert cancellations at Fenway Park.

Photo Credit: Robin Canfield

Live Nation expands its presence in Latin America through the acquisition of the Dominican Republic’s SD Concerts, a rising force in Central and South America.

Live Nation announces the acquisition of SD Concerts, the leading live entertainment company in the Dominican Republic and a rising star across Central and South America. The move bolsters Live Nation’s commitment to this fast-growing touring region and reinforces its mission to bring more live music to fans worldwide.

Founded in 2001, SD Concerts is behind many of the region’s most notable live events. The company promotes top Latin and international talent across the Dominican Republic, as well as supporting shows in Aruba, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Puerto Rico. SD Concerts also operates a ticketing platform, which currently services all SD events and provides a foundation for future ticketing expansion in the region. Through the acquisition, that platform will become part of the Ticketmaster ecosystem.

“Saymon and SD Concerts have built a remarkable business rooted in deep local knowledge and a passion for live music,” said Michael Rapino, CEO and President, Live Nation Entertainment. “We’re joining forces with a proven regional leader to help even more Latin artists reach global audiences and connect international acts with fans across Latin America.”

“Live music is thriving across the region, and we’re proud of the role SD Concerts has played in that growth,” adds Saymon Diaz, Founder & CEO of SD Concerts, who will continue to lead the business. “Partnering with Live Nation gives us the global infrastructure to scale even further and supports the next generation of Latin talent. This partnership will bring bigger shows to more locations and create even more unforgettable live music experiences for fans in the Dominican Republic and across Latin America.”

The concert industry is seeing continued momentum across Latin America, with Live Nation events seeing fan attendance in the region up over 25% in the first quarter of 2025. Growing demand for live experiences is supported by the global rise of non-English language artists, who now represent twice as many of Live Nation’s top 50 tours compared to 2019. This momentum underscores Latin America’s growing role as a powerhouse in global touring, and Live Nation’s role in building more opportunities for artists and audiences to connect.

Photo Credit: Matthewc95 / CC by 4.0

Irish rap group Kneecap have confirmed they were removed from appearing at the upcoming TRNSMT music festival in Glasgow.

“Due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event, Kneecap can no longer perform at TRNSMT,” the band says the message they received states. Speaking to their fans, Kneecap says: “To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights, and hotels to see us play, we are sorry… it is out of our hands.”

“Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We’ve played there many times, with no issues—ever. Make of that what you will. To try to make up for it, we will be at your O2 Academy on Tuesday July 8.”

Police in Scotland stated last week that allowing Kneecap to perform at the Glasgow Green on July 11 would require “a significant policing operation.” The move to disallow Kneecap to perform comes after one of the members was charged with a terror offense for promoting a Hezbollah flag during a London gig. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by Metropolitan Police after reviewing footage of the incident at the O2 Forum in London. He performs under the name Mo Chara and is slated to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18.

Kneecap also received criticism for a performance in 2023 when footage showed one of the members telling the audience: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP!” Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has backed calls for Kneecap to be removed from the TRNSMT festival over the Tory comment.

TRNSMT promoters DF Concerts said: “Due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event, Kneecap will no longer perform at TRNSMT on Friday, July 11.” So far, Kneecap is still listed on the lineup of the Glastonbury festival, which is happening on June 28. The group drew massive criticism after their Coachella set this year after using the stage to project pro-Palestinian messages and leading an anti-Margaret Thatcher chant.

Wannasee Limited has shut down and canceled a number of its music festivals. Photo Credit: Adrià Sánchez Roqué

The UK’s Wannasee Limited has confirmed that it “will not be able to continue” operating, and the development has resulted in nearly a dozen festival cancellations.

Wannasee announced the unfortunate news on its website and in a media statement, after pulling the plug on the namesake Wannasee Festivals last week. One of those cancellations was made official at the last minute; Wannasee South had been scheduled for May 26th, with Wannasee Penrith teed up for late August.

(Additionally, Wannasee last year put the Penrith festival on ice, explaining then that “the ground conditions are not in a fit state for this to occur without substantial damage to the site.”)

Before nixing the May event, however, organizers acknowledged “growing speculation regarding the status of this year’s festival.” And prior to putting out the 11th-hour notice, Wannasee on May 14th seemingly changed its name to 08076670 Limited upon entering receivership, Companies House docs show.

Bearing in mind the latter detail, The Northern Echo and other outlets across the pond are pointing to 11 total festival cancellations stemming from Wannasee’s implosion.

“It is with deep regret that we confirm Wannasee Ltd will not be able to continue,” the company elaborated on this front, “and we must announce the cancellation of the following festivals: Kubix and Monument Festivals in Sunderland, Wannasee Penrith and Wannasee South, Jukebox Sunderland and Jukebox Bingley, Sign of the Times, Stone Valley South, Stone Valley Midlands and Stone Valley North.

“We are hopeful, however, that positive discussions currently underway may preserve Lindisfarne Festival and Northern Kin, and we wish them all the very best,” continued Wannasee.

Lindisfarne Festival organizers, still set to deliver a late-August event featuring The Fratellis and more, took to Instagram to inform fans of “work going on behind the scenes to ensure that” the happening proceeds. And Northern Kin, booked for early August, posted the same message (albeit with the appropriate event name) on its own Instagram page.

“Although we are unable to respond to individual emails and messages at the moment, we thank you all for your patience and we hope to have a full update for you as soon as possible,” both wrote.

Meanwhile, refunds for the shelved festivals are rather unsurprisingly a big focus for the impacted customers and vendors. With Wannasee’s brief remarks here having evidently failed to assuage related concerns, a number of passholders are speaking out on social media.

“To all of our ticket holders: we are truly sorry,” Wannasee weighed in on the ticketing side. “We understand your disappointment and frustration. Please contact your ticket provider or card issuer for refund information.”

In the bigger picture, the cancellations mark the latest in a long line of axed festivals. At the intersection of continued cost considerations, consumer-spending woes, and adjacent factors, more than 170 mega-events were called off or otherwise failed to take place in 2024, DMN Pro tracked.

Signs of the disconcerting trend have carried on into the current year: Travis Kelce’s Kelce Jam festival has opted against hosting a 2025 edition in favor of “planning ahead for 2026.” And even well-entrenched festival players like Coachella are grappling with sales slowdowns.

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

DJ Alesso headlined the grand opening of downtown Miami’s Worldcenter, a $6 billion retail, dining, and entertainment hub.

Miami’s downtown lit up as global superstar DJ Alesso headlined a massive open-air block party celebrating the grand opening of Miami Worldcenter, the city’s new 27-acre, $6 billion retail, dining, and entertainment hub. Thousands turned out for the high-energy show, which transformed Miami Worldcenter’s streets into a full-sensory experience with fireworks, lasers, CO2 blasts, and live performers.

The evening also featured live performances by Shaggy and country star Lee Greenwood. Greenwood’s rendition of “God Bless the USA” was accompanied by a dramatic Red Bull base jumper stunt from the top of the 60-story Paramount Miami Worldcenter tower. Miami’s own DJ Irie served as MC throughout the night, keeping the crowd hyped between acts.

The free concert, co-hosted by DJ Scotty B, included performances by Flo Rida and Nicky Jam, as well as a fireworks spectacular, laser light show, special effects, confetti storm, and more. Guests could also enjoy food and beverage tastings from immersive street activations hosted by dozens of retail and dining tenants now open at Miami Worldcenter.

Culinary showcases included Maple & Ash, Sixty Vines, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Serafina, Go Greek Yogurt, Sweet Paris Creperie & Cafe, and Starbucks. Additionally, local favorites Juvia, Brasserie Laurel, Chug’s Express, and El Vecino Cigar & Cocktail Bar provided a further diverse mix of global flavors and formats.

Positioned within walking distance of Miami’s top cultural and entertainment landmarks, including Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), the Frost Museum of Science, the Adrienne Arsht Center, and the Kaseya Center—home of the Miami Heat—Miami Worldcenter is downtown’s new heartbeat.

During the course of the multi-phase development, Miami Worldcenter plans to bring over 11,000 residential units to market. Several luxury apartments and condominium towers are already completed, with thousands of additional units actively under construction or in planning. On the hospitality front, more than 1,100 hotel rooms are expected across the site, with the CitizenM Miami Worldcenter Hotel now open and additional hospitality destinations slated to debut in future phases.

Miami Worldcenter’s Grand Opening Celebration was presented by Openbank by Santander, a new digital bank that’s “simple, secure, and powered by a top global bank.” Ray-Ban was the official eyewear provider, while CitizenM was the preferred partner hotel, and Rentyl Resorts was the official hospitality sponsor. Official beverage sponsors Lucky Strike and E11even Vodka further elevated the experience, alongside Nestle, who provided complementary Essentia Ionized Alkaline Water for guests.

Photo Credit: Paolo Villanueva / CC by 2.0

CGL, the company behind the biggest tours, such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, announces a controlling investment from Providence Equity Partners.

GCL, a worldwide leader in live events logistics, has announced a strategic investment from Providence Equity Partners. The private equity firm has significant experience investing in and supporting companies in the entertainment and media sectors.

Providence will become the majority shareholder of CGL, and ATL Partners, the current majority owner, will retain a minority equity stake in the company. GCL will continue to be led by President and CEO Daniel Rosenthal, with global headquarters in New York. The transaction is still subject to customary closing conditions. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, though The Wall Street Journal reports it was more than $1 billion.

Founded in 1978, GCL is the world’s premier logistical provider in its sectors, operating in service-sensitive live events and luxury goods markets. GCL completes more than 10,000 projects annually in over 160 countries and enables some of the world’s biggest live music tours—including Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour.

“GCL is a very special company supported by an incredible family of employees, customers, and partners across its global network. Providence’s commitment validates our customer focus and growth strategy and will expand our capabilities further in the years ahead,” said Daniel Rosenthal, GCL President and CEO.

“The Providence team’s proven track record and depth of relationships in our end markets make them the ideal partner for the next chapter of serving our customers. I’m also extremely grateful to the team at ATL Partners for their deep passion to propel our growth strategy. Under ATL’s active stewardship during the last seven years, GCL has successfully expanded into several adjacent verticals and is the clear market leader in live events and luxury goods logistics.”

“For nearly 50 years, GCL has earned the trust of the world’s biggest names in the live events sector and established a leading position in all of the end markets it serves,” said Scott Marimow, Managing Director at Providence. “We have a deep appreciation for and understanding of the business, especially given our long history of investing in entertainment and sports. We look forward to partnering with Dan and the entire GCL team to help capitalize on organic and inorganic growth opportunities ahead.”

Providence has nearly three decades of experience investing in and creating value at a wide range of companies in the live event space. These include Ambassador Theatre Group, Major League Soccer, Sweetwater, Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, and World Triathlon Corporation.

“Since ATL invested in GCL in 2018, GCL has transformed itself into a premier business focused on the high growth live event and luxury goods markets,” added Sanjay Arora, a Partner at ATL Partners. “Dan and his management team have positioned the company well for its next phase of growth by expanding into new verticals, adding operational capabilities, and executing strategic acquisitions. We look forward to supporting the next step in GCL’s journey alongside Providence and the GCL management team.”

Jefferies LLC, J.P. Morgan, Securities LLC, and Moelis & Company LLC served as financial advisors, while Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal advisor to GCL. Harris Williams served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Providence.

Photo Credit: Too Lost

Too Lost, a leading digital music distribution and rights management company, is hosting a panel at Dream Con 2025. Titled “World Building for Music Creators: Weaving It All Together,” the panel addresses the evolving landscape for today’s artists.

The following is in collaboration with Too Lost, a proud partner of Digital Music News.

Too Lost specializes in empowering independent creators by providing tools for music distribution, rights management, and monetization as a one-stop shop across digital platforms. The company’s mission is to help these creators release music and build sustainable, multi-faceted brands that thrive in today’s digital landscape.

Too Lost’s extensive distribution network includes not just traditional streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Deezer, etc.) but also emerging platforms like SoundExchange, Gracenote, Shazam, Peloton, Canva, and a host of digital streaming providers (DSPs) across China, Africa, the Middle East, and Korea.

“World Building for Music Creators: Weaving It All Together” will address the evolving landscape that today’s artists must face. No longer is it enough to simply release music—creators are now expected to build entire ecosystems around the work. Superfans have become an important component of artist success and capturing their attention can mean the difference between making it or breaking it. This panel will explore how musicians can connect their passions—ranging from comedy and gaming to streaming, podcasting, and education—into a cohesive narrative.

Attendees will learn strategies for storytelling, community growth, and business development, helping them unlock new opportunities for connection, monetization, and career longevity. With active listening becoming a huge part of success in the music industry, engaging superfans goes beyond releasing compelling music on DSPs.

Meet the Panelists

Roxxy Haze — A dynamic comedian, writer, and musician who is known for blending humor with insightful commentary on pop culture and music. Her work spans stand-up, digital sketches, and content creation—making her a multi-platform talent who brings a unique perspective on creative world building.

Irv Da Phenom — With a career tooted in hip-hop and entrepreneurship, Irv Da Phenom is celebrated for his versatility as a rapper, songwriter, and brand strategist. He has collaborated with major artists and has built a loyal following by integrating music with digital content in his community initiatives.

Dende — Dende is a genre-bending rapper, songwriter, and producer whose soulful sound and storytelling have brought him critical acclaim. Beyond music, he engages his audiences through live performances, an active social media presence, and educational content—exemplifying what it means to be a multi-hyphenate content creator that spans the digital sphere.

Stockz — Stockz is an innovative artist and entrepreneur recognized for merging music with technology and finance. His approach to brand building includes leveraging digital tools and cross-industry partnerships, offering valuable insights into monetization and audience engagement.

This Too Lost panel is designed for creators looking to expand their reach beyond traditional music releases on major DSPs. Attendees will gain actionable advice on integrating multiple interests, building a unified brand, and navigating the complexities of today’s creator economy. Too Lost’s expertise and the diverse experiences of the panelists make this session a must attend for anyone who wants to elevate their creative business.

This Too Lost Dream Con panel will be hosted on May 31 at 2:30 PM. “I’m excited to moderate this panel at Dream Con because many of today’s music creators are building entire worlds beyond music—through gaming, comedy, streaming, and more,” shares Damien Ritter, Too Lost’s Director of Marketing. “This conversation is about helping artists connect it all, tell a clear story, and turn their creativity into a movement.”

Dream Con 2025 will take place from May 30 to June 1, 2025 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. This three-day event brings together fans of anime, gaming, music, and pop culture for a dynamic and inclusive celebration.

Photo Credit: Blue Man Group by Léo Pinheiro / CC by 3.0

No Guarantees Productions secures the long-term lease of the historic Astor Place Theatre, with plans to give it a significant makeover.

No Guarantees Productions has announced that it has secured the long-term lease of the historic Astor Place Theatre, with plans to transform it into a dynamic cultural hub. Amplifying artists and shows outside of the traditional Broadway model, the venue’s makeover will utilize the entirety of the space and elevate the audience experience.

For over 30 years, Astor Place Theatre was home to Blue Man Group, one of New York City’s longest-running and most beloved theatrical productions. After 34 years of groundbreaking performances, Blue Man Group announced in November that it would be closing its doors, creating the opportunity for a new chapter for the iconic venue. No Guarantees aims to honor the theatre’s rich legacy while offering a fresh experience for audiences.

No Guarantees plans to transform the Astor Place Theatre into a dynamic cultural hub that amplifies shows that don’t require or benefit from the traditional Broadway model, creating space for innovative artists and distinctive voices.

In addition to reimagining the theatrical experience itself, plans are underway to utilize the full potential of the venue to introduce a West End-style evening-out experience with the future addition of a patrons’ lounge and curated special events. Over time, the goal is to cultivate a loyal community of returning guests and members, offering them early access and insider opportunities to stay engaged with the latest and most exciting experience in New York theatre.

“No Guarantees is proud to take on the long-term lease of Astor Place Theatre, a venue that has been a cornerstone of New York City’s cultural landscape for over fifty years,” said Megan O’Keefe, Executive Vice President of No Guarantees.

“No Guarantees is committed to honoring the incredible legacy of the theatre, including its iconic run with Blue Man Group, while elevating the experience for today’s audience. By investing in new technologies and drawing inspiration from the traditional West End theatre experience, we aim to create a seamless and elevated space that makes attending live performances more accessible, enjoyable, and immersive than ever before.”

With a seating capacity of 298, the famed Astor Place Theatre is located directly across the street from The Public Theater at 434 Lafayette Street in New York City. It’s an iconic off-Broadway venue situated in the historic Colonnade Row. The building’s Greek Revival architecture, with traditional, imposing marble columns, dates back to 1831, almost two centuries ago. It was also once home to the Astor and Vanderbilt families.

Astor Place Theatre opened as a performing arts venue in 1968. Since then, it has hosted many experimental, impressive, and genuinely groundbreaking performances. Until February 2025, the venue was the permanent home of the hugely popular cultural phenomenon Blue Man Group. Since 1991, the show thrilled off-Broadway crowds of nearly 300 people with its unique blend of comedy, music, and inventive scenes. Over its 34-year run at Astor Place Theatre, the show was performed nearly 18,000 times. The theatre is still owned by the three co-founders of Blue Man Group, who purchased the venue in 2001.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that Astor Place Theatre will remain a vibrant off-Broadway venue, and that No Guarantees Productions will lead it into its next chapter,” said Matt Goldman, co-founder of Blue Man Group, co-owner of Astor Place Theatre, and Executive Director of The Town Hall.

“This theatre has a rich and meaningful history, not only as the longtime home of the Blue Man Group, but as one of the most dynamic and intimate performance spaces in the country. No Guarantees is committed to is committed to honoring that legacy while expanding its potential, utilizing the entire venue and introducing a West End-style experience right here in New York. This theatre is special, not just to me, but to the neighborhood, the city, and the cultural fabric of the country. I look forward to seeing No Guarantees bring their vision to life.”

Simon Bogigian, Director of Facilities of Astor Place Theatre for over 20 years and a beloved mainstay of the neighborhood, will continue overseeing the day-to-day management of the venue. Lisbeth Barron of Barron International Group has been acting as the exclusive financial advisor to No Guarantees on the theatre transaction.

Photo Credit: DJ Bunt by Wendy Huynh

Airbnb will offer unique experiences at Lollapalooza festivals across the world, hosted by artists and music industry insiders, starting in July.

Airbnb has announced its first global live music partnership, offering unique fan experiences at Lollapalooza festivals in Berlin, Chicago, São Paulo, and Mumbai. Guests will have access to curated Airbnb Experiences, many of which will be hosted by performing artists.

Starting this summer at Lollapalooza Berlin, guests can book daily Airbnb Experiences at several Lollapalooza festivals—plus access to an exclusive onsite Airbnb lounge. Experiences range from concert photography tutorials with professional photographers and behind-the-scenes tours with festival directors to intimate artist performances and more.

“More and more guests are choosing Airbnb for big events, including concerts and festivals, because Airbnb can bring you as close to the action as possible,” said Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky. “With our new partnership with Lollapalooza, guests can Airbnb more than an Airbnb—they can unlock once-of-a-lifetime Experiences, rooted in the magic of live music.”

The global partnership kicks off at Lollapalooza Berlin, where one of the featured Airbnb Experiences includes performing artist Bunt. Guests will have access to an exclusive post-show Experience and private performance by Bunt in a hidden spot on the festival grounds. Booking for this event begins on June 5.

At Lollapalooza festivals around the world, a significant number of attendees come from outside the host city: 75% in Berlin, 65% in São Paulo, 57% in Mumbai, and 50% in Chicago.

“Fans are traveling the world to see the artists they love, and festivals like Lollapalooza are leading that demand,” said Michael Rapino, CEO and president of Live Nation Entertainment. “Partnering with Airbnb helps us make those trips even more memorable for fans, connecting them to the culture and community around the music that makes each festival unforgettable.”

According to a recent Airbnb survey, over 70% of travelers said they often book an experience when they travel. The partnership also comes as Airbnb introduces completely reimagined Airbnb Experiences—including Airbnb Originals, “extraordinary experiences” hosted by “the world’s most interesting people” and designed exclusively for Airbnb.

The new partnership’s global rollout will continue throughout the summer, with new Airbnb Experiences at Lollapalooza Chicago (July 31 – August 3), followed by experiences at The Town 2025 in São Paulo, Lollapalooza India, and Lollapalooza Brasil.

Ticketing platform XP has announced a $6.2 million raise. Photo Credit: Jessica Christian

Web3 ticketing platform XP has announced a $6.2 million raise and doubled down on plans “to build the most fulfilling ticketing experience for fans.”

The year-old ticket-resale marketplace unveiled the funding in a blog post as well as a formal release. Founded and led by former Grubhub exec Michael Saunders, XP says it “puts fans first with transparent, fair-market prices and tech-forward ticketing innovations.”

Now, the company has a cool $6.2 million at its disposal to continue expanding those innovations, among them an AI-powered price-comparison extension.

New York City-based Blockchange Ventures, which per its website backs “founders with visions as big and bold as the Blockchain itself,” led XP’s latest raise. Additionally, the round drew support from crypto-minded investment manager L1D and David Kalk’s Reflexive Capital.

Addressing his business’s raise, the XP head Saunders called out the many competitors operating in the evidently lucrative ticketing space.

“Buying tickets shouldn’t feel like you’re getting taken advantage of,” said Saunders, who’s also at the helm of Captain Labs, the Solana-focused tech studio behind XP.

“Fandom is an integral part of a person’s identity, and yet most platforms treat fans like transactions. We believe fans deserve better—and that starts with recognizing and rewarding fans’ loyalty and passion,” concluded Saunders, whose platform is said to boast “millions of dollars in annualized ticket sales.”

While there’s certainly something to be said for rewarding fans, logic suggests that lowering prices is the best way to stand out in the increasingly crowded live-entertainment arena. On this front, XP indicated that its model means customers can “save up to 30%…compared to the same seats listed on other resale marketplaces.”

As things stand, these resale marketplaces aren’t limited to well-entrenched players like Live Nation’s Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, the possibly-for-sale Vivid Seats, and StubHub.

Back in August 2024, TickPick scored a cool quarter of a billion dollars in funding, and the U.K.’s Seat Unique announced a close to $20 million extended Series A. Then, Amsterdam’s Celebratix in November pulled down about $1.2 million and emphasized a goal of bringing its blockchain tech to several international markets.

In other words, competition is fiercer than ever in ticketing, where regulatory scrutiny isn’t letting up. Most conspicuously, that refers to the DOJ’s apparently ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

But the same companies are also the subject of at least one government crackdown across the pond. Returning to the States, a DOJ inquiry into “unfair and anticompetitive” live/ticketing practices is in full swing, and not-so-subtle anonymous sources have pointed to a possible criminal antitrust probe targeting Live Nation and AEG alike.

Photo Credit: Parkwood Entertainment

Superfans who dished out thousands to secure Beyoncé tickets during the pre-sale are experiencing buyer’s remorse that on-sale prices have been significantly less.

Tickets for major acts like Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, and Beyoncé are known to go fast, so fans are accustomed to acting accordingly during pre-sales in order to avoid being shut out. But things have been different for Queen Bey’s Cowboy Carter tour, in which many tickets are winding up available for the general on-sale or the resale market—often for a fraction of the pre-sale prices.

That’s a far cry from how things were during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, where fans didn’t even get a chance at the general on-sale, with tickets long gone by the time the pre-sales dissipated. The whiplash in pricing is frustrating fans who paid top dollar for tickets to see Beyoncé during the Beehive pre-sale, only to find the same seats available for a third of that price after the fact.

“I bought Cowboy Carter pre-sale tickets for $1700 for Sweet Honey Bucket Pit at MetLife on the 22nd,” one fan complained on social media. “The same tickets are now $600. I’m f—ing pissed.”

“F Ticketmaster, the tickets that are right next to me are now $1500 cheaper!!!” lamented another. “Hell, I could go to a different city and see another show for less than that. I’m thankful for getting to see Beyoncé front row, but damn my wallet hurts.”

“I’ve gotten to a point that I’m no longer going to compete in a pre-sale,” said Annie Rodriguez, a concertgoer who paid around $860 for her ticket, after which seats fell as low as $500. “As a fan who is signing up for the pre-sale so that you can guarantee a seat, you’re hoping that the artist will be kind to their true fans.”

Rodriguez doesn’t blame Bey for her buyer’s remorse. As a veteran concertgoer, she blames “dynamic pricing,” in which face value fluctuates based on demand. But despite artists like Oasis claiming ignorance over the use of dynamic pricing for their tickets, conventional wisdom in the industry is that artists choose to utilize the feature—and should be well aware they’ve done so.

In general, fans are quick to blame Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the merger of which has come under additional scrutiny by federal lawmakers. That’s largely thanks to the debacle with Swift’s Eras Tour ticketing two years ago. Last year, the Justice Department sued Live Nation over its monopoly in the live entertainment industry, asking a court to break up the conglomerate.

But the broader resale market is under scrutiny too, and has been for a while now. “The Coalition for Ticket Fairness believes that a transparent and open resale market is essential to restoring balance and fairness in the ticketing ecosystem,” begins a statement from Jason Berger of the Coalition for Ticket Fairness. “When fans are allowed to freely buy, sell, or transfer tickets across platforms, it creates competition, drives prices down, and gives fans the flexibility they deserve.”

“During recent high-demand events, including Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, many fans discovered that secondary marketplaces offered tickets at prices substantially lower than the so-called ‘presale’ prices on primary platforms,” Berger explains. “These real-world examples prove that an open market doesn’t hurt fans—it helps them. It introduces real choice and breaks the monopoly that often drives up prices under the guise of exclusivity.”

“Restricting resale or locking tickets to a single platform only benefits a few dominant players—not the fans. An open and transparent resale market ensures fairness, affordability, and freedom for consumers,” he concludes. “Fans want choice. Choice drives competition, and competition drives fairness.”

Ultimately, so-called superfans who pay top dollar for first dibs on tickets shouldn’t be too surprised when tickets beyond the pre-sale drop in value. The industry has made clear that as long as superfans are willing to pay any price to secure tickets, pre-sales for the hottest shows will continue to cost a pretty penny. Buyer’s remorse in this case isn’t applicable to you since the jacked up prices were the cost for first dibs on tickets rather than attending at all.

Photo Credit: Billy Joel by slgckgc / CC by 2.0

Billy Joel cancels all scheduled concerts in North America and England due to a diagnosis of a brain disorder, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

Billy Joel has been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder in which excess fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles. As a result, the star has cancelled all concerts on his itinerary—17 shows in total, across stadiums in North America and England.

“I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding,” said Joel, whose last concert took place on February 22 in Connecticut. Near the end of the performance, after throwing his microphone stand to a crew member, Joel fell flat on his back. But he quickly stood up and was able to finish the set.

A month later, he announced that he was taking a four-month break from touring due to a “medical condition” that he said required surgery and physical therapy. Joel planned to return to the stage on July 5 in Pittsburgh.

“While I regret postponing any shows, my health must come first,” he said in a statement at the time. “I look forward to getting back on stage and sharing the joy of live music with our amazing fans. Thank you for your understanding.”

It’s unknown if his medical issues at the time were related to his NPH diagnosis, though that seems likely. NPH affects around 0.2 percent of people in their seventies (Joel is 76), and can cause walking issues, bladder control issues, and cognitive problems. Most commonly, it’s addressed with a surgery where a device is implanted to remove the excess fluid.

“This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance,” his team explained in a statement. “Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period. Billy is thankful for the excellent care is he receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health.”

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) “can affect several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement, and more,” reads a description from the Cleveland Clinic. “The symptoms of NPH look very much like those of dementia, but NPH is sometimes reversible.”

“NPH is unusual among dementia-like conditions because it’s often reversible,” the clinic explains. “However, the chances of reversing this condition are highest with early diagnosis and fast treatment. Delays in diagnosis and treatment make it more likely that the damage to your brain from the pressure will be permanent, severe, or both.”

Billy Joel finished his decade-long residency at Madison Square Garden in July last year. Afterward, he continued to tour across America and England with around two shows a month.

Photo Credit: All-American Rejects TikTok

The All-American Rejects are making headlines with a series of surprise pop-up concerts across the United States. Dubbed the ‘house party’ tour, the group is building anticipation for their upcoming comeback tour and their first full-length album in over a decade.

The band kicked off their spontaneous tour on April 30 at the University of Southern California, following the release of their new single “Sandbox.” Since then, they’ve hit the road and criss-crossed the Midwest, bringing their energetic performances to unconventional venues suggested by fans on social media.

So far, the band has played a backyard house party in Los Angeles, at a farm in Ames, Iowa, for a graduation party in Columbia, Missouri, a backyard in Chicago, a bowling alley in Minneapolis, and more. Crowd sizes for these events range between 120 in Chicago to a massive 5,000-person audience at the farm in Ames. Each show has been announced with minimal notice, while fans are encouraged to suggest new locations. Requests have been pouring in from across the country including fans hopeful of stops in Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee, and Texas.

The pop-up tour is a brilliant marketing move for a rock band that has been out of the public spotlight for several years. They’re generating a huge viral buzz on TikTok while simultaneously engaging a new generation of fans alongside followers. Lead singer Tyson Ritter says the pop-up tour was born from a desire to recapture the raw energy of the band’s beginnings while creating memorable moments outside of traditional venues.

Videos of these pop-up appearances are racking up millions of views on TikTok, while their social media channels are flooded with fans suggesting their hometowns. As the group continues their pop-up spree across the United States, the built-up momentum for their comeback tour and upcoming album reaches a fever pitch.

Photo Credit: All About Us Festival

Mario and Jadakiss headline the All About Us Festival this Juneteenth, now in its third year, in Jersey City’s Liberty State Park.

R&B superstar Mario is hitting the stage this Juneteenth at the All About Us Festival alongside hip-hop legend Jadakiss and house music icon Robin S. Their performances will bring timeless hits and undeniable energy to a day curated for love, music, and multi-generational joy.

Now in its third year, the All About Us Festival at historic Liberty State Park in Jersey City is a feel-good celebration of Black culture, family, and community—with something for everyone. The festival pairs nostalgia-laced performances with fresh, curated experiences across music, art, food, and fun.

“From the moment you walk in, it’s going to feel like joy,” said Shannon Mitchell, founder of the All About Us Festival. “We created this space to remind us of what freedom looks like—being together, being seen, and celebrating who we are. Black history is American history, and this day is for all of us.”

Baltimore native Mario will be performing some of his biggest hits, including “Let Me Love You,” “Just a Friend,” and more. Yonkers-based Jadakiss is expected to perform popular hits like “Why” and “Knock Yourself Out.” House favorites like “Show Me Love” and “You Are My Friend” are expected to crop up during DJ sets from Robin S and Kenny Bobien.

In addition to Mario and Jadakiss’ headline performances, and DJ sets from Robin S and Kenny Bobien, guests can expect additional musical acts from all genres. There will be food trucks, kid-friendly fun, art activations, and curated shopping from Black-owned brands.

“Whether you’re showing up with your crew or dancing with your little ones, All About Us is where freedom meets joy, and where memories are made,” reads the festival’s tagline.

Attendees can get tickets now, mark June 19 on their calendar, and ready their picnic blanket for an unforgettable love letter to Black joy and pride.

Photo Credit: Hoàng Anh Nguyễn

The live entertainment sector is in decline according to data gathered by Chartmetric. Rising costs, low ticket sales, and strict visa rules are reshaping what the touring landscape looks like in 2025.

Artists across the globe are facing new barriers to touring, with data showing that there just aren’t as many touring artists on the road anymore. Chartmetric looked at both mid-level and superstar-level artists from 2022 and 2024, comparing how many were still touring. 44% of superstar-level artists were touring in 2022, while only 36% were in 2024. That decline is even more dramatic in mid-level artists, which declined from 19% touring in 2022 to just 12% in 2024.

Photo Credit: Chartmetric

Chartmetric’s methodology was an analysis of the top 1,000 artists from each career stage in both years. Touring artists are defined as those who performed at least ten shows in the span of a year—highlighting the steep decline for both mid-level and superstar-level artists. The data seems to indicate that star power alone is no longer enough to guarantee a successful tour.

High profile acts like Jennifer Lopez, The Black Keys, and Lauryn Hill & the Fugees cancelled shows due to low ticket sales last year. Meanwhile, larger festivals are also feeling the pinch as this is the second year that Coachella did not achieve sell-out status within days of tickets going on sale. Coachella took nearly a month to sell out in 2024 and data shows that nearly half of the general admission attendees this year used payment plans to buy their tickets.

Another mounting challenge for international artists is the strict via situation in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. The cost of artist visas nearly quadrupled from $460 to $1,615 per musician last year—the first bump in price since 2016.

Governments interested in helping protect the live sector can support touring infrastructure so smaller venues don’t close down. That’s something the UK is doing with UK Live Trust, which reallocates money from stadium and arena tours to smaller venues by donating £1 per ticket sold at larger venues.

The globalization of live touring is also becoming more prevalent as big acts include Asia in their touring plans. Lady Gaga, Tyler, the Creator, Blackpink, Coldplay, Oasis, and Billie Eilish all have Asian dates planned for their upcoming tours.

Photo Credit: Krishta Abruzzini

Foreigner’s long-time vocalist Kelly Hansen has announced he’s stepping down from the position after the band’s summer tour concludes. Guitarist Luis Maldonado will step into the role.

Hansen announced the news during a special appearance on the NBC reality show, ‘The Voice.’ “Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Hansen said about stepping down. “But it’s time to pass the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy, and the soul to carry these songs into the future. I couldn’t be prouder to hand this off to him.”

Foreigner Leader & Founder Mick Jones also commented on the passing of the torch, sharing his approval of the move. “In 1976, my goal was to assemble the finest group of musicians I could find. Results have shown that it worked! About thirty years later, Jason Bonham encourages me to do it all over again and create a brand-new Foreigner, and the magic is still there.”

“I was especially fortunate in the choice of lead singer. Kelly Hansen is one of the best front men in our business and over the last twenty years he has breathed new life into our songs. His boundless energy and flawless talent have helped us climb the mountain and set up the opportunity for Foreigner vocalist and guitarist Luis Maldonado to bring us home.”

“I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavors after our summer tour and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position. Luis was my choice as a guitarist and he has already shown us what he can do on lead vocals by fronting the band in South America to incredible reviews. He will soon lead the charge and carry us forward to new heights,” Jones concludes.

Before Luis joined Foreigner, he was best known as the guitarist for Train and for his work with Lisa Marie Presley. He now steps into the spotlight as the lead singer of Foreigner, bringing a rich blend of vocal power, stage charisma, and musical versatility. “This music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” says Maldonado. “I’m ready to honor Foreigner’s legacy and bring my heart to every performance.”

Kelly Hansen joined Foreigner in 2005 and helped revitalize the band’s live presence. Their current tour continues through 2025 and will feature both Hansen and Maldonado on stage in the symbolic handoff. Next year is the band’s 50th anniversary of its formation in New York in 1976.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Billie Eilish announces 23 additional dates for her Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour in Japan and North America this year.

Since launching last September, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft arena tour has brought sold-out shows across North America and Australia. The tour is currently traveling across Europe, the UK, and Ireland, and has featured multiple-night stops in several cities. Now, Billie has announced 23 additional dates in Japan and North America.

The newly added shows include two nights at Tokyo’s Saitama Super Arena on August 16 and 17, followed by a second US leg this fall with stops in Miami, Orlando, Raleigh, New Orleans, Austin, and more. Now with 106 dates in total, the tour will conclude on November 23 at Chase Center in San Francisco, more than a year after it first kicked off in the fall of 2024.

The current tour leg continues Thursday, May 29 with two shows in Cologne, followed by stops in Prague, Vienna, Paris, Barcelona, and more. This July, she’ll also headline an impressive six sold-out nights at The O2 in London.

US tickets for Billie Eilish’s 2025 dates will be available starting with an American Express Presale beginning Tuesday, May 20 at 12 PM local time, while supplies last. Tickets for Japan dates will be available starting with an American Express Presale beginning Thursday, May 22 at 12 PM local time, also while supplies last.

Notably, Billie Eilish is using Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange to give fans—not scalpers—the best chance to buy tickets at face value. To make this work, tickets will be non-transferable and the tour may cancel tickets posted elsewhere for more than face value. In New York, where resale can’t legally be restricted, tickets will be transferable, and fans can still buy and sell their tickets at the original price paid on Ticketmaster.

Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour 2025 Japan Dates

• 16 | Saitama Super Arena – Tokyo, Japan
• 17 | Saitama Super Arena – Tokyo, Japan

Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour 2025 US Dates

October

• 09 | Kaseya Center – Miami, FL
• 11 | Kaseya Center – Miami, FL
• 12 | Kaseya Center – Miami, FL
• 14 | Kia Center – Orlando, FL
• 16 | Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
• 17 | Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
• 19 | Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC
• 20 | Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC
• 23 | Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
• 25 | UBS Arena – Long Island, NY
• 26 | UBS Arena – Long Island, NY

November

• 07 | Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
• 08 | Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
• 10 | BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
• 11 | BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
• 13 | Moody Center ATX – Austin, TX
• 14 | Moody Center ATX – Austin, TX
• 18 | PHX Arena – Phoenix, AZ
• 19 | PHX Arena – Phoenix, AZ
• 22 | Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
• 23 | Chase Center – San Francisco, CA

Photo Credit: Eurovision

Austrian artist JJ has won Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with his powerful single, “Wasted Love.” The track is a break-up inspired pop-opera track, featuring explosive techno beats. The track captivated international audiences and propelled JJ to victory—but Spotify data reveals other favorites among competitors.

Born in Vienna and raised in Dubai, the 24-year-old JJ returned to Austria in 2016. Known for his soprano-range voice, JJ has performed at the Vienna State Opera and gained national attention through his appearance on Austria’s casting show Starmania. With his landmark win, JJ now joins the ranks of Eurovision legends, marking a new chapter in his career. His label Warner Music congratulated him.

“JJ’s incredible talent, combined with his innovative sound, has truly resonated with audiences across Europe and beyond, attracting new fans with every performance,” says Dorren Schimk and Fabian Debres, Co-Presidents of Warner Music Central Europe. “Eurovision is the world’s most-watched music television show, and we are thrilled to see him shine on such a global stage. We are proud to be a part of JJ’s journey.”

JJ’s win for Austria with “Wasted Love” was the country’s third-ever Eurovision victory. Previous Austrian winners include Udo Jürgens in 1966 and Conchita Wurst in 2014. You can see the full placement of participants here.

While JJ took home the prize, Spotify data reveals some interesting insights into the other contestants. Swedish singer KAJ sang “Bara Badu Bastu” and was the unofficial Eurovision fan favorite, receiving over 5.6 million global streams during Eurovision week.

Hot on Sweden’s heels was Estonia’s Tommy Cash, whose Europop hit “Espresso Macchiato” saw over 3.4 million streams throughout the week of the final. The Netherlands’ Claude followed in third place with “C’est La Vie” which saw 3.1 million streams in the final week, while Germany’s Abor & Tynna ranked fourth with “Baller” at 2.7 million streams. Rounding out the top five was Norway’s Kyle Alessandro with “Lighter” which also saw over 2.7 million streams during Eurovision week.

Celine Dion’s 1988 Eurovision classic “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” also saw a 55% jump in global streams as the contest returned to Switzerland. That track brought Switzerland to victory 37 years ago, and now it has achieved a 610% spike in streaming numbers across Europe.

The Robert F. Kennedy Building, which serves as the DOJ headquarters. Photo Credit: ajay_suresh

Live Nation is reportedly grappling with yet another wave of Justice Department scrutiny. Now, a reported criminal antitrust probe is zeroing in on alleged refund-related ticketing collusion during the early days of the pandemic.

This possible probe just recently entered the media spotlight and was confirmed by Live Nation. At the time of writing, however, the DOJ itself didn’t appear to have publicly commented on the matter. Consequently, we don’t have an abundance of information with which to work.

But as described by Bloomberg, the ongoing investigation revolves around whether the Ticketmaster parent and AEG Presents in early 2020 “illegally colluded on refund policies for canceled concerts and dealt with artists to limit losses.”

Per the same outlet – which, potentially setting the tone for subsequent reports, opted to prioritize the probe’s significance for Live Nation as opposed to AEG – prosecutors have considered levying charges against Live Nation and CEO Michael Rapino.

Of course, charges aren’t necessarily forthcoming; on the other hand, that the DOJ is turning back the clock half a decade isn’t exactly a good sign for the targeted companies. Though we’ll have to see what the future holds here, Live Nation EVP of corporate and regulatory affairs Dan Wall attempted to get in front of the subject with a prompt statement.

(DMN reached out to AEG Presents for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response.)

“‘While Live Nation contributed to this industry effort in good faith,’” Wall reportedly communicated in part, “‘we set our own unique policies and refund terms to support fans and artists. We did not collude with AEG or anyone else. We are proud of our leadership during those trying times, and if any charges result from this investigation, we will defend them vigorously.’”

Closer to the present, it’s safe to say that the administration change, contrary to the prevailing sentiment beforehand, hasn’t brought any regulatory relief whatsoever for Live Nation.

Most tellingly, the Justice Department antitrust suit seeking to separate the promoter from Ticketmaster is still in full swing. Then there’s a different DOJ and FTC inquiry, initiated earlier in May in response to a late-March executive order, centering on “unfair and anticompetitive” live/ticketing practices.

For the latter, companies, members of the public, and others can submit comments until July 7th. Apparently, one has the option of weighing in anonymously; the appropriate docket displayed 68 remarks, many far from positive and pertaining to Live Nation despite the inquiry’s more general scope, at the time of writing.

Especially important in light of these details is the Senate’s fresh bipartisan focus on the Live Nation/Ticketmaster agreement with Fanatics.

With all that said, the market doesn’t seem too concerned; Live Nation stock (NYSE: LYV) rose 1.6% during today’s trading to $147.68 per share. The price represents a 14% increase since 2025’s start and a 53% spike from mid-May 2024.

Photo Credit: Ian Hutchinson

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a formal warning to StubHub over the secondary ticket market’s slow rollout of all-in pricing.

The FTC’s rule requiring ticket sellers to display the total price of tickets upfront went into effect on May 12. The regulation applies to all ticket sellers, both primary and secondary. Ticketmaster was compliant on the rollout date, while secondary market SeatGeek issued its update on May 9 ahead of the deadline. But StubHub dragged its feet—with the mobile app only—to take advantage of the NFL 2025 schedule.

StubHub updated its website to comply with the all-in pricing requirement, but 48 hours after the deadline the mobile app failed to show the total price. The FTC notes that a significant portion of customers purchase tickets for upcoming events on their mobile devices—meaning StubHub was taking advantage of its mobile user base.

The FTC highlighted how StubHub’s non-compliance came at a time when the NFL’s 2025 schedule dropped. That always results in a high volume of traffic and sales. By not including all fees upfront, StubHub gained an unfair competitive advantage during one of the busiest ticket-buying periods of the year. Chris Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection doesn’t buy the excuse that the mobile roll-out took longer.

“Companies have had sufficient time to prepare for these changes and update their advertising to ensure the total price of each product or service is appropriately disclosed,” Mufarrige said. “As this letter shows, the Commission will not allow companies to circumvent the rule to gain a competitive advantage.”

While the FTC did not issue an immediate penalty for the slow-walked rollout, it did put StubHub on notice that further non-compliance could result in enforcement action—including fines. The FTC also took this opportunity to alert other ticketing platforms that it would be monitoring them to ensure industry-wide adherence to the new transparency rules. Violations of the all-in pricing rule could result in civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.

Photo Credit: Insomniac

Insomniac has launched a new streaming app offering nonstop electronic music, without ads or subscription requirements. 

The Insomniac Radio app delivers curated music streaming 24/7 across four channels. Insomniac has previously released exclusive festival sets on platforms like Apple Music but is now building its own dedicated streaming space.

The app is free to use and built around genre-specific channels: ONE, ANALOG, IMPACT, and LUCID. Each channel is designed to reflect different corners of dance music. From the bass-heavy wubs and house heads to the more melodic world of trance, the platform is structured to mirror the same audience groups that define its festivals.

Are other event organizers even thinking about how to extend their communities in this way?

It raises questions about why more event producers with strong communities have not taken this route, or an avenue similar to a dedicated streaming app. Many rely a little too heavily on social media content, YouTube livestreams, or the occasional playlist. With how deeply some of these brands have embedded themselves into fan communities, it’s surprising more haven’t explored dedicated streaming as a long-term extension of their ecosystem.

Beyond the always-on channels, listeners can tune in to over 100 artist-hosted shows, including 40 exclusive series. The lineup of hosts includes artists, creators, event headliners, industry professionals, and curators, contributing a range of perspectives to the platform. Names range from established headliners like John Summit, Martin Garrix, Alison Wonderland, Afrojack, Hardwell and more.

During major Insomniac events, the app will also function as a live broadcast hub. Insomniac Radio will stream exclusive audio from select stages at EDC Las Vegas 2025, including stereoBLOOM, wasteLAND, and quantumVALLEY. These stages will not be part of the video livestream, making the app the only way to hear these sets remotely.

EDC Week club performances from artists including Chris Lorenzo, Biscits, and Mochakk are also being incorporated into the stream, expanding the app’s scope beyond large-scale festivals to include smaller venue events.

For participating artists, the platform offers an additional distribution channel outside of traditional DSPs and social media.

Unlike platforms driven by algorithms, the special curation of Insomniac Radio allows artists to present their work within a branded and genre-specific context tied to live event communities. This format may be particularly useful for artists looking to engage with niche or regional audiences tied to Insomniac’s festival network. It also provides a way to maintain visibility between tour cycles, potentially supporting fan retention and discovery in a more controlled environment.

With no paid tier or sponsored interruptions, it’s a different model than what we’ve seen from traditional DSPs, and an unique step for a festival company.

Insomniac has also been expanding its global footprint, with the recent debut of EDC Medellín and other international editions. It’s unclear whether the app will eventually become a central digital layer connecting these events in the Insomniac universe, though this feels like the start of something new. 

Photo Credit: Nine Inch Nails by Allina S (chocolate_starfish__) / CC by 2.0

Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross announce the full lineup for Future Ruins, a new festival bringing together the biggest composers in film and TV.

Future Ruins is set to take place at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on November 8, featuring performances that include festival organizers and Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The festival is described as a “first-of-its-kind music festival: a day-long event where the world’s most influential film and television composers step out from behind the screen and onto the stage.”

“It’s about giving people who are, literally, the best in the world at taking audiences on an emotional ride via music; the opportunity to tell new stories in an interesting live setting,” said Reznor. “Every artist is a headliner.”

According to the festival’s website, “each artist is encouraged to take big swings and re-imagine their work for a live audience. Ranging from electronic sets and live bands to orchestral performances, fans have the chance to experience live debuts from composers who rarely appear on stage.”

Confirmed acts for the event include John Carpenter, Danny Elfman, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, Mark Mothersbaugh, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Questlove, Isobel Waller-Bridge, and Terence Blanchard.

Nine Inch Nails, who have also won multiple Oscars for Best Original Score, are scheduled to perform as well, but they won’t be performing Nine Inch Nails material. The industrial icons have a wealth of soundtrack scores to their names, including The Social Network, Watchmen, Gone Girl, Soul, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Challengers, and more.

Fans looking to hear Nine Inch Nails’ material can catch Reznor and his band during their Peel It Back Tour across the UK, Europe, and North America, starting next month. An extensive run of dates kicks off on June 15 at the 3Arena in Dublin, before they head to Manchester’s Co-op Live on June 17, and London’s O2 Arena on June 18. The tour then heads to mainland Europe and North America.

Photo Credit: Ashley King (StubHub website)

With Ticketmaster offering all-in pricing on its website and mobile apps, both secondary ticketing marketplaces SeatGeek and StubHub have done the same.

The move among ticketing platforms was driven by new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations and mounting consumer frustration at ticket prices. Research has revealed that up to 50% of abandoned purchases from consumers are the result of hidden fees only disclosed at checkout. Ticketmaster’s adoption of all-in pricing happened earlier this week—now all fees except local taxes are included in the advertised price.

The change addresses years of criticism surrounding ‘junk fees’ and hidden charges that often blindside concert ticket purchasers. With Ticketmaster setting the precedent, both SeatGeek and StubHub have updated their platforms to conform with the new FTC rules. SeatGeek was previously criticized for revealing its 10-48% buyer fees only at checkout. Now it includes the total ticket cost including mandatory fees (minus taxes) at the start of the buying process—and was the first secondary ticketing market to do so.

StubHub dragged its feet on compliance, with the StubHub website being the first to confirm to all-in ticket pricing, while the mobile app did not. Digital Music News reached out to StubHub to ask why and was informed that the all-in pricing app roll-out is now included on mobile, too. Checking the prices of Beyonce concert tickets on the StubHub platform revealed fees are included and a new pop-up notification announcing such.

This harmonization in upfront ticket pricing across the industry for live events is a direct response to both regulatory pressure and consumer dissatisfaction with the ticket buying process. Gone are the days where ticket markets tack on an additional $75 on top of a $150 ticket price—nearly doubling the cost for consumers. While this is a good start for upfront pricing, it’s worth noting that tacked on fees and their breakdown remains opaque for buyers.

All three ticketing entities do not provide a breakdown of the ‘fee price’ shown at check-out. Ticketmaster mentions that fees may include service fees, processing fees, facility charges, and any venue-specific fees—but it does not break down these fees in the final checkout presentation. Instead, all fees are lumped into the fee category. States like New York have introduced bills that would cap additional service charges at 15% of the ticket value, further refining tacked on fees by ticketing platforms.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation is rolling out its new ‘$30 Ticket to Summer’ promotion for 2025, offering fans access to over 1,000 concerts across the United States and Canada. The $30 flat-rate per ticket includes all fees except local taxes—and is a price hike compared to previous $10 and Lawnie Pass promotions.

The deal is available for a limited time starting May 21 and offers tickets to a range of major acts including Avril Lavinge, Halsey, The Offspring, Luke Bryan, Weird Al, The Black Keys, Billy Idol, Kesha, Pantera, and many more. The lower price point for these tickets offers a pressure valve for fans seeking to attend concerts at a lower price than typical.

Early access to tickets is being offered to T-Mobile and Rakuten members, as well as previous Lawnie Pass holders as a gesture of appreciation for their loyalty. The promotion is designed to drive excitement and ticket sales for summer events as the live music industry continues to rebound.

The new offering this year comes with a few caveats that may leave some long-time live music fans underwhelmed. In previous years, the summer ticket promotion offered by Live Nation included tickets for a flat $10 fee, making this year’s $30 offering feel like a prike hike for budget-conscious music fans.

More notably, Live Nation has discontinued its popular Lawnie Pass program, which allowed fans to attend as many concerts on the lawn at participating amphitheaters as they want for a flat $239 fee. Live music fans loved the Lawnie Pass for its flexibility and value, especially for superfans who attend multiple shows each summer.

The $30 Ticket to Summer promotion offers great value compared to standard ticket prices, but it is not a direct replacement for Lawnie Pass. Instead of unlimited access, fans must purchase tickets for each individual show and the $30 rate is only available for select events while supplies last. This means superfans could quickly see their attendance costs add up—especially if they attend more than seven concerts this summer.

Photo Credit: CBGB Festival

New York City’s CBGB gets a revival in 2025 as a one-day fest under the K-Bridge in Brooklyn on September 27.

Even though New York’s beloved punk venue, CBGB, closed its doors in 2006, the name lived on within CBGB Fest, which was revived in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Now, the festival is back for a new edition in 2025, co-presented by CBGB & OMFUG and The Bowery Presents.

Previous editions of the festival were multi-day events across multiple venues, CBGB Fest 2025 will be a one-day festival featuring three stages. The event takes place Under the K-Bridge in Brooklyn on September 27, headlined by Iggy Pop and Jack White.

This is also the previously “TBD” Brooklyn date listed on the Sex Pistols’ announcement of their first North American tour in over 20 years. Other artists slated to play include The Damned, Johnny Marr, Lunachicks, Marky Ramone, Angel Du$t, Cro-Mags, Destroy Boys, Gorilla Biscuits, Lambrini Girls, The Linda Lindas, Melvins, Murphy’s Law, Scowl, Teen Mortgage, Lip Critic, Pinkshift, Soul Glo, and YHWH Nailgun.

Fans can register now for presale access. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 16 at 10 AM ET, with a presale beginning Thursday, May 15 at 10 AM ET. Discounted “Young Punk” general admission tickets will also be available for NYC residents under 25, and will be sold on Saturday, May 17 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg box office beginning at 12 PM ET. There will be 350 of these available, selling for $73—a nod to CBGB’s official venue capacity, and the year the club opened in 1973.

The CBGB was an icon of “raw energy, rebellion, and underground music,” and helped launch the careers of the Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, and many more. The CBGB Festival pays tribute to New York City’s “gritty, sticker-covered past through the lens of modern punk.” Under the K Bridge Park was chosen as this year’s venue for its cultural relevance in the heart of Brooklyn.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation has formally petitioned the US Supreme Court to appeal a ruling that prevents the company from forcing arbitration in a massive consumer antitrust lawsuit.

In a petition filed on May 5, Live Nation asks the court to consider its appeal after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to strike down “unconscionable” arbitration provisions in Ticketmaster’s terms of use. Live Nation argues that California and the Ninth Circuit Court’s decisions have singled out its arbitration agreement improperly, in conflict, they allege, with federal law and precedent.

Live Nation is seeking reversal in two key areas. Largely, it insists that all forms of arbitration, including “mass arbitration,” deserve protection under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Secondly, it challenges the application of California’s “arbitration-specific” severability doctrine—which Live Nation asserts violates the FAA’s core principle in placing arbitration agreements on equal footing with other contracts.

It’s the latest major move in the massive consumer-led antitrust lawsuit that claims Live Nation and Ticketmaster unfairly dominate the ticketing industry. Recently, US District Court Judge George H. Wu denied Live Nation’s motion to dismiss the case, pointing out plausible allegations of market sway and unfair business practices.

Live Nation’s partnership with a relatively new arbitration service—New Era ADR—has raised questions about procedure, which consumers called “extremely unconscionable” and one-sided. The Ninth Circuit Court agreed and upheld Judge Wu’s earlier ruling that Live Nation’s terms forced claimants into mass arbitration, which lacks many of the safeguards associated with traditional arbitration.

According to Live Nation’s petition, the FAA covers all types of arbitration, and the Ninth Circuit’s refusal to enforce its agreements violates Supreme Court precedent. Further, it challenges the way California courts invalidate arbitration agreements as “unduly hostile,” citing a series of decisions in California where arbitration contracts were invalidated at higher rates than others.

Currently, the consumer antitrust lawsuit continues under Judge Wu in California, with discovery and pretrial proceedings underway. A separate antitrust action filed by the US Department of Justice and 39 states and the District of Columbia is heading to trial in March 2026. Live Nation hoped to delay the consumer suit until after the government’s trial, but Judge Wu denied their request.

Photo Credit: Ashley King / Ticketmaster website

Ticketmaster’s long-criticized ticket pricing with tacked on fees is finally getting a nationwide overhaul, but only after heavy government intervention. The ticketing giant rolled out its ‘all-in pricing’ across the United States starting today.

That means consumers will see the full ticket price—including mandatory fees—up-front, rather than being blindsided when checking out. The move comes in response to mounting pressure from both the FTC and the TICKET Act winding its way through Congress.

For years, music fans and professionals have decried Ticketmaster’s use of opaque pricing, where advertised tickets could balloon as much as 50% with added fees. These ‘junk fees’ have been a significant source of consumer frustration for live music events and contributed to a high number of abandoned checkouts.

It’s estimated that up to 50% of customers abandon their purchase once they see the final price at checkout. Meanwhile the FTC estimates that hidden fees and the lack of transparency in pricing has cost Americans 53 million hours collectively in hunting for actual ticket prices.

The new all-in pricing model, mandated by the FTC and reinforced by the TICKET Act in Congress, aims to restore consumer trust and level the playing field for ticket buyers.

“This consensus legislation will end deceptive ticketing practices that frustrate consumers who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event by restoring fairness and transparency to the ticket marketplace,” House Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) said in a joint statement at the passing of the TICKET Act.

While all-in pricing is a step towards transparency, it’s a government-forced concession from a company that has long profited from consumer confusion. It also does nothing to limit the amount of tacked on fees and groups all fees into one category—resulting in less transparency in terms of who benefits from the collected fee. Ticketmaster controls over 70% of the market for tickets to live events and has 80% of the market share for concerts since 1995.

Photo Credit: @iwally

The Weeknd kicked off his 43-date ‘After Hours Til Dawn‘ stadium tour with a massive, sold-out show at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ. Around 60,000 fans lined up to see the star, with nosebleed ticket prices bottoming out around $73.

Special guests Mike Dean and Playboi Carti opened the show before The Weeknd took the stage alongside 30 dancers in red cloaks. The never-before-seen production included a towering gold statue, gold ruins, rings of gold across the stage, lasers, flames, and more.

The show featured an electrifying setlist that included tracks from Hurry Up Tomorrow like “The Abyss,” “Cry For Me,” and “São Paulo.” He also performed fan favorites from After Hours and Dawn FM, along with hits from his extensive catalog including “Starboy,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Blinding Lights” and more.

Opening night of The Weeknd’s tour arrives just ahead of the theatrical release of his highly anticipated feature film, Hurry Up Tomorrow. The film premiers May 16 via Lionsgate and stars The Weeknd alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. The film was written and directed by Trey Edward Shults, featuring original music by The Weeknd who co-scored the film alongside composer Daniel Lopatin.

Meanwhile, the ‘After Hours Til Dawn‘ tour continues on May 24 in Detroit MI at Ford Field before making additional stops in Chicago, East Rutherford, Denver, Inglewood, Vancouver, Toronto, Miami, and more this summer. The Weekend will also appear on ‘The Tonight Show‘ with Jimmy Fallon for a special musical performance and his first-ever couch interview on May 15.

The Weeknd — After Hours Til Dawn 2025 Tour Dates

May

• 09 | State Farm Stadium – Phoenix, AZ
• 24 | Ford Field – Detroit, MI
• 25 | Ford Field – Detroit, MI
• 30 | Soldier Field Stadium – Chicago, IL
• 31 | Soldier Field Stadium – Chicago, IL

June

• 05 | MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
• 06 | MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
• 07 | MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
• 10 | Gillette Stadium – Foxboro, MA
• 11 | Gillette Stadium – Foxboro, MA
• 14 | U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, MN
• 21 | Empower Field at Mile High – Denver, CO
• 25 | SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA
• 26 | SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA
• 28 | SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA
• 29 | SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA

July

• 04 | Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
• 05 | Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
• 08 | Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, CA
• 09 | Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, CA
• 12 | Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
• 15 | BC Place – Vancouver, BC
• 16 | BC Place – Vancouver, BC
• 19 | Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton, AB
• 24 | Parc Jean Drapeau – Montréal, QC
• 25 | Parc Jean Drapeau – Montréal, QC
• 27 | Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
• 28 | Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
• 30 | Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
• 31 | Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA

August

• 02 | Northwest Stadium – Landover, MD
• 07 | Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
• 08 | Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON
• 12 | Nissan Stadium – Nashville, TN
• 15 | Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL
• 16 | Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL
• 21 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
• 24 | Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
• 27 | AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
• 28 | AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
• 30 | NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
• 31 | NRG Stadium – Houston, TX

September

• 03 | Alamodome – San Antonio, TX

Photo Credit: KCAL News, CBS Los Angeles

A dump truck crashed into legendary West Hollywood music venue Whisky a Go Go on Friday, colliding with a powerline and other vehicles in the process.

Sunset Boulevard and Clark Street were closed in West Hollywood on Friday after a dump truck collided with Whisky a Go Go, leading to power in the area being shut off. The truck first hit a powerline and several other vehicles, including a mail truck, before it crashed into the legendary music venue.

“Due to the traffic collision, some power has been affected and power is out to some parts of the area,” said the LA Sheriff’s Department. “Crews are currently on scene and working to restore power.” Power was fully restored to the area by 3:30 AM, according to officials.

The show planned for Friday night at Whisky a Go Go included performances by Boy Hits Car, Barefoot in the Bathroom, and Gearheart, but was ultimately cancelled.

“This dump truck came careening out of control down Clark Street into the back of the Whisky a Go Go, taking out six different cars,” said KCAL News’ Desmond Shaw. The truck was parked on a downhill slope, and there was no one inside the vehicle when the incident happened, witnesses said.

No serious injuries were reported from the crash. A postman in the mail truck suffered minor injuries from jumping from the truck and into the street to avoid getting hit, but did not require hospitalization.

“The entire building shook violently; a lot of us thought it was an earthquake at first,” said Liliana Seidel, an employee at the venue. “We thought a bomb went off, then the power just cut immediately throughout the building.”

Whisky a Go Go opened in 1964 as an “anchor on the Sunset Strip since its opening.” The beloved venue has hosted numerous musical greats, including The Doors, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, Blondie, and many more.

Photo Credit: Lainey Wilson by KSON San Diego

The Academy of Country Music 60th awards ceremony took place last night—hosted by 16-time winner Reba McEntire. Here’s a peek at this year’s winners.

The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM), presented by Prime Video and Dick Clark Productions, took place last night in Frisco, Texas to celebrate the year’s biggest accomplishments. The show opened with a 12-minute all-star set celebrating the 60th anniversary with performances of ACM Songs of the Year from decades past.

Host Reba McEntire sang “Okie from Muskogee,” followed by Clint Black singing, “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Wynonna Judd singing “Why Not Me,” LeAnn Rimes singing “Blue,” Little Big Town singing “Girl Crush,” and Dan + Shay singing “Tequila.”

As for the night’s accolades, Lainey Wilson took home the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year—her second year in a row earning the highly coveted title. Wilson clocked four wins overall, while Ella Langley led the night in total wins with five. Riley Green took home three awards for his collaboration with Ella Langley, “you look like you love me,” while country mainstay Alan Jackson received the inaugural Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brooks & Dunn won Duo of the Year, marking their first win in the category in 15 years, and their 17th win overall in the category. Old Dominion took home ACM’s Group of the Year award, their eighth consecutive win in the category, pushing them past Rascal Flatts for the most consecutive wins in that category.

Meanwhile, Chris Stapleton won ACM Male Artist of the Year marks his second consecutive win for the title and his fifth overall. Jessie Jo Dillon won Songwriter of the Year, her second win after securing the title in 2024.

First time winners this year included Texas native Cody Johnson, who won Song of the Year for “Dirt Cheap,” Zach Top with New Male Artist of the Year, and The Red Clay Strays with New Duo or Group of the Year.

Interestingly, country superstar Morgan Wallen seemed to ditch the ACM Awards in favor of hanging out with former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Images of him tossing a football with the Super Bowl champ on a golf course appeared on his Instagram stories around the time the ACM Awards were set to begin. Wallen was among the most nominated artists this year, alongside Ella Langley, Cody Johnson, and Lainey Wilson—but he didn’t get any wins.

After her appearance in a pixie-cut bob at this year’s Met Gala, actress Nicole Kidman stunned at the ACM Awards with her signature long hair as she accompanied husband Keith Urban. Urban was honored with the coveted ACM Triple Crown Award, while Chris Stapleton, Megan Morony, and Brothers Osborne paid tribute to him with a melange of some of his greatest hits. These included “Stupid Boy,” “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” and “Where the Blacktop Ends.” Urban joined Brothers Osborne on stage for the latter.

The Academy of Country Music Awards were established in 1966 and remain as the longest-running Country Music awards show. In 2022, the event made history as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in collaboration with Amazon’s Prime Video.

The DOJ and the FTC have officially launched a public inquiry in connection with a March executive order targeting ‘unfair practices in the live entertainment market.’ Photo Credit: ActionVance

The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have officially launched an inquiry into “unfair and anticompetitive practices” in the live entertainment space.

The DOJ and the FTC formally announced this public inquiry today, a month and change after President Trump signed an executive order targeting “unscrupulous middlemen who sit at the intersection between artists and fans.”

As we noted then, the order gave the mentioned department and agency (besides the Treasury Department) 180 days to provide a report describing “any recommendations for regulations or legislation necessary to protect consumers” in the ticketing world.

And it’s in connection with the report that the entities are now fielding comments concerning “harmful practices” in the live sector. The public, from consumers to companies, have until Monday, July 7th to weigh in if so inclined, according to the inquiry announcement.

In addition to insights pertaining to the previously highlighted “unfair and anticompetitive practices,” the DOJ and the FTC are welcoming comments about “the competitive effects of current state and federal regulations and laws in the live concert and entertainment industry.”

“We will continue to closely examine this market and look for opportunities where vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws can lead to increased competition that makes tickets more affordable for fans while offering fairer compensation for artists,” Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater added in part.

Time will, of course, reveal exactly what comes of the inquiry and different components of the executive order, which also instructed the FTC to ramp up enforcement of the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS Act).

Today’s announcement underscored that the commission is “taking the lead” here. Though new charges have yet to materialize under the scalping-focused law, the FTC last month fired off a warning shot of sorts with an explainer entitled “BOTS Act compliance: Time for a refresher?”

In the bigger picture, one needn’t be a Washington insider to sense the bipartisan regulatory mood regarding crowd-based entertainment.

To name one immediate example, today’s public-comments release also reiterated that the DOJ as well as 40 state and district attorneys general are litigating against Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary over “monopolization and other unlawful conduct.”

Meanwhile, the House closed out April by overwhelmingly approving the TICKET Act (which, in a nutshell, would mandate all-in pricing for tickets), and senators from both sides of the aisle kicked off a new round of Live Nation antitrust scrutiny.

This time, the involved lawmakers (who aren’t strangers to expressing concerns about the Ticketmaster parent’s operations) are zeroing in on a Fanatics pact.

Photo Credit: Miguel Ángel Sanz

Chicago’s Michelada Fest announces the cancellation of the two-day event. It was originally slated for July 19 and 20 at Oakwood Beach.

Michelada Fest 2025 organizers have announced the cancellation of this year’s two-day event, originally scheduled for July 19 and 20 at Chicago’s Oakwood Beach. In a post on the festival’s website, organizers cited concerns about visas for international artists—as well as the “rapidly changing political climate”—among the reasons for the decision.

Full refunds for ticketholders will begin “immediately” to everyone who purchased tickets directly through the festival’s website or Ticketon. Refunds will be issued to the original form of payment, and may take 7-15 business days to process.

“Due to the uncertainty surrounding visas and the rapidly changing political climate, we’re no longer able to guarantee the full experience we had dreamed up for you with all your favorite artists,” said the statement from the Michelada Fest team. “Although we tried to push through, it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to deliver the full lineup as planned.

This year’s Michelada Fest would have been the event’s second year at Oakwood Beach for a celebration of Latin music, art, food, and drink. The 2025 edition would have also included two stages, with one dedicated to showcasing local talent.

“We’ve had seven years of extremely devoted and loyal fans, and we felt that it wouldn’t be responsible […] to continue to push and promote the event,” said festival founder Fernando Nieto in a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, adding that the absence of Michelada Fest is going to leave “a great cultural hole” in Chicago’s live events and arts scene over the summer.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services increased visa fees for international musicians last year from $460 to over $1,615 per application. It can cost an artist around $3,000 to have their visa expedited. While some festivals will cover or contribute to visa fees, this increases the risk of financial loss for the event if a visa is revoked or denied.

“I don’t wish this on any other festival,” said Nieto. “I hope that there are no other cancellations, because I know what it feels like on the organizer side to take this big of a hit, especially if you’re an independent organizer.”

Photo Credit: LL Cool J by Larry Philpot / CC by 3.0

LL Cool J and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan have been announced as headliners of the ‘Welcome America’ Fourth of July concert.

Philadelphia’s 16-day festival leading up to Independence Day, Wawa Welcome America, is fast approaching. The concert will take place once more on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the fireworks display on July 4. This year’s festival will again begin on June 19 and run until July 4.

The festival will feature an expanded lineup of free events throughout Philadelphia, culminating with a free concert featuring LL Cool J and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan.

The announcement comes on the heels of the now-cratered Made In America festival, which was also situated in Philly. The Jay-Z-backed Made In America came to a screeching halt back in 2023 and looks down for the count. In fairness, the carnage across music festivals worldwide has been high over the past few years, with nearly 200 pulling the plug according to DMN Pro estimates.

Produced in partnership with Live Nation, the Welcome America concert will be staged on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and broadcast in English on NBC10 for viewers to enjoy from home.

The concert will be followed up by Philadelphia’s largest annual fireworks display over the parkway, beginning at 9:30 PM.

Thursday, June 19, at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the annual Juneteenth Block Party kicks off, celebrating 160 years of freedom. All are welcome to unite in celebration by enjoying the music and savoring delicious local eateries.

Welcome America will once against feature an r&b and rap-focused lineup combined with new events. America’s 250th birthday in 2026 is slated to be a summer of celebration with Philadelphia taking center stage—this year combines the best the city has to offer in the lead-up to next year’s festivities.

The 2025 festival will feature a concert, fireworks, block parties, complimentary museum access, and more, with continued focus on arts, culture, education, wellness, history, and performance.

Welcome America continues their commitment to inclusivity and showcasing all of Philadelphia’s cultures and will once against include a slate of programming in commemoration of Juneteenth. It will also include programming surrounding the 40+ year tradition of Concilio’s Annual Hispanic Fiesta, celebrating Hispanic culture and heritage through food, dance, and music.

Photo Credit: Amos Bocelli, Veronica Berti (Manager), Kirk Sommer (WME), Andrea Bocelli, Jay Marciano (CEO, AEG), Francesco Pasquero (Manager), Eugenio D’Andrea (Legal Consultant), David Levy (WME) / AEG Presents

Andrea Bocelli signs a major five-year touring agreement with AEG Presents in the next chapter of his storied career.

The exclusive partnership will give AEG Presents full responsibility for managing and producing the Italian tenor’s ticketed live events worldwide beginning January 1, 2026. Developed in collaboration with Bocelli’s management team and WME, the agreement covers performances across five continents.

“This extraordinary partnership marks a fundamental new chapter for Andrea’s global career,” said co-managers Veronica Berti and Francesco Pasquero. “We are extremely pleased to sign with such exceptional partners who have […] shown a deep commitment to the artistic vision. The next ten years will be crucial in consolidating Maestro Bocelli’s role as a global music icon, and we are honored to become part of such a remarkable family.”

AEG Presents Chairman and CEO Jay Marciano traveled to Italy to meet with Bocelli ahead of the deal. “I wanted to understand the man and the artist before embarking on this journey,” he said. “I’m truly thrilled to welcome him into our family and help take his artistry to even greater heights.”

“We are incredibly proud to have worked closely with all parties to make this partnership a reality,” said WME’s Kirk Sommer and David Levy. “M. Andrea Bocelli is not only a unique, extraordinary talent but also a cultural ambassador whose legacy continues to grow.”

The new agreement is described as “the most significant ever for a classical artist, and takes effect next year. It will cover all Bocelli’s ticketed live events across Africa, Asia, Europe, America, and Australia.

The announcement also highlights the deepening relationship with Bocelli’s longtime record label partner, Universal Music Group, uniting his recording and touring activities under one umbrella. No specific tour dates have yet been announced, but fans can expect that to change by next year.

A live performance from Beyonce, who’s updated a promo video to remove a depiction of the Sphere. Meanwhile, Beyhive superfans are swarming the Vegas venue’s social profiles. Photo Credit: Raph_PH

One cease-and-desist letter later, Beyoncé has removed a depiction of the Sphere from a video released as part of her ongoing world tour.

The clip’s retooled version debuted during a SoFi Stadium concert yesterday, according to Variety. And as we previously noted, it’s been just days since Sphere attorneys penned a firmly worded letter demanding that Beyoncé axe the venue reference.

Still live on YouTube, the original video appears to show a colossus Beyoncé picking up and inspecting what looks to be the Sphere. Though seemingly inconsequential, the promo evidently proved a big deal for Sphere brass, and not in a positive sense.

At least according to the mentioned attorneys, the video “resulted in significant speculation that Beyoncé will end her tour with a Sphere residency.” As things stand, the Parkwood Entertainment founder intends to wrap the tour in Vegas – albeit with a pair of performances at Allegiant Stadium.

Now, with the cease-and-desist having given the Cowboy Carter act until today to nix the Sphere reference, Allegiant Stadium has been incorporated as the replacement.  

Besides the in-concert debut, the retooled video also made its way into an Instagram post from Parkwood. “What happens in Vegas starts with a BANG,” the appropriate caption reads.

At the time of writing, the video had already racked up a healthy 75,000 or so likes on Instagram. In other words, the ostensibly unforeseen conflict is proving beneficial for Beyoncé, who has stops booked into late July.

Of course, it’s unclear whether the media coverage will translate into heightened attendance. Many of the reactions here are coming from existing “Beyhive” superfans – see the multitude of bee emoji comments on the Sphere’s Instagram page for proof – who are presumably set to attend in any event.

Nevertheless, the exposure won’t hurt; reports have pointed to thousands of available tickets for the SoFi series. More generally, the Cowboy Carter Tour revolves around repeat concerts at only a handful of stadiums. All told, the Houston-born singer is expected to deliver 32 performances at nine total venues.

Back to the Sphere, which has teed up a Tomorrowland “multi-sensory adventure” for later in 2025, execs have scheduled their first-quarter earnings call for this coming Thursday, May 8th.

Photo Credit: Live Nation / Rimas Nation

Bad Bunny announces an international stadium tour, kicking off in November after his 30-date Puerto Rico residency in September.

On the heels of his 30-date residency in his native Puerto Rico on September 14, reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny hits the road for an international stadium tour that kicks off in November. Benito will visit the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Poland, and Italy, before a finale in Belgium next summer.

Presented by Live Nation and Rimas Nation, tickets for the shows go on sale this Friday, May 9. The tour supports Bad Bunny’s sixth album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos), released on January 5.

 

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Fans suspected a world tour might be in the works, as he had noted his wishes to visit places he had not been previously, including Japan and Brazil. He also mentioned his desire to return to places he hadn’t been to in a long time, such as London, Italy, and Spain.

The announcement comes as the star prepares a residency in Puerto Rico, “No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui,” at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan beginning July 11. Uniquely, the first nine shows in the residency are exclusive to Puerto Rican residents, while the remaining shows will be open to the public.

Bad Bunny is also slated as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on May 17, with host Scarlett Johansson. The appearance will mark his third performing on the show.

Bad Bunny DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour Dates 2025

November

• 21 | Estadio Olimpico – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

December

• 05 | Estadio Nacional – San Jose, Costa Rica
• 10 | Estadio GNP – Mexico City, Mexico
• 11 | Estadio GNP – Mexico City, Mexico

Bad Bunny DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour Dates 2026

January

• 23 | Estadio Atanasio Girardot – Medellin, Colombia
• 30 | Estadio Nacional – Lima, Peru

February

• 05 | Estadio Nacional – Santiago, Chile
• 13 | Estadio River Plate – Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 20 | Allianz Parque – Sao Paulo, Brazil
• 28 | ENGIE Stadium – Sydney, Australia

March

• [Date TBA] | [Venue TBA] – Tokyo, Japan

May

• 22 | Estadi Olimpic – Barcelona, Spain
• 26 | Estadio Da Luz – Lisbon, Portugal
• 30 | Riyadh Air Metropolitano – Madrid, Spain
• 31 | Riyadh Air Metropolitano – Madrid, Spain

June

• 20 | Merkur Spiel-Arena – Dusseldorf, Germany
• 23 | Gelredome – Arnhem, Netherlands
• 27 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London, UK

July

• 01 | Orange Velodrome – Marseille, France
• 04 | La Defense Arena – Paris, France
• 10 | Strawberry Arena – Stockholm, Sweden
• 14 | PGE Narodowy – Warsaw, Poland
• 17 | La Maura – Milan, Italy
• 22 | King Baudouin Stadium – Brussels, Belgium

Photo Credit: Beyoncé by Billy Briggs / CC by 2.0

Beyoncé was sent a cease-and-desist letter from James Dolan’s lawyers over a video at her new show depicting her picking up the Las Vegas Sphere.

Madison Square Garden and Las Vegas Sphere boss James Dolan is not interested in sharing his toys. That was made clear when his lawyers hit Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment with a cease-and-desist letter over a video shown at her Cowboy Carter concert. The video depicts a giant Beyoncé striding through the Las Vegas skyline before leaning over and picking up the Sphere.

According to the letter, penned by Kathleen McCarthy of King & Spalding, which represents Dolan’s Sphere Entertainment Group (SEG), Beyoncé violated the company’s intellectual property rights. This, they assert, has “resulted in significant speculation that Beyoncé will end her tour with a Sphere residency.”

“Beyoncé—many orders of magnitude larger than the Sphere venue—leans over, picks up the venue, and looms over it,” wrote McCarthy. “SEG was never asked and the prominent appearance and manipulation of SEG’s Sphere venue in the video is unauthorized.”

The superstar was given a deadline of Monday discontinue use of the imagery in her videos, “in addition to refraining from using this imagery on any merchandise, promotional or marketing materials, or in tour movies.”

Any plans Beyoncé had for a residency at the Sphere collapsed last year after it was reported the venue refused her request to shut down for two weeks of rehearsals. Her team also sought around $10 million for a high-tech production similar to that of U2’s Sphere residency, which evidently further complicated things. As a result, she was said to be exploring a potential 100-show deal with Sphere rival MGM.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour kicked off last week in Inglewood, California, with several dates at SoFi Stadium before heading to Chicago, Houston, New York, London, and more. Failure to comply, SEG said, will result in the company taking further action as they deem appropriate, “without notice.”

A view from the booth at Barry Can’t Swim’s Friday night Shrine throwdown (Photo: Digital Music News)

Searing Scottish DJ Barry Can’t Swim packed The Shrine for two nights in Los Angeles this weekend — with his full band in tow.

Ninja Tune phenom Barry Can’t Swim capped his West Coast mini-tour this weekend with a pair of packed gigs at The Shrine — with a Bonnaroo slot next.  The fast-rising Scot is quickly making friends and influencing people, with the first Los Angeles gig oversold and expanded into a second night.

And for those who like to be entertained, Barry Can’t Swim — aka Joshua Spence Mainnie — essentially destroyed it. For starters, The Shrine is a cavernous space, though the sound was properly balanced and full, with a non-stop laser and light show to accompany the music.

Those putting on DJ sets are intimately familiar with how difficult it is to pull off a proper choreography, though team Barry crushed it. The result: Barry Can’t Swim’s adherents were dancing their asses off, with Mainnie deftly threading together tracks in a tightly-woven set.

Barry Can’t Swim definitely has his die-hard fans, and this story is likely to grow.

Part of the appeal might be the DJ’s differentiations from the typical solo DJ setup. Barry Can’t Swim’s visual display was great, though the real attraction goes beyond the backdrop razzle-dazzle.

Instead, this ‘DJ’ is actually a band, with a real drummer, keyboards, and even a full-blown string section trotted out. That fits Mainnie’s orientation, which is more instrumental musician than DJ and certainly not constrained to a particular dance sub-genre. Instead, the music of Barry Can’t Swim traverses jazz, house, afrobeat, and even shoegazer, with splices of random recordings peppered throughout.

That said, Barry Can’t Swim is very much a DJ on stage, and his performances are solidly dance events.

Still, it’s surprising how much the live instruments alter the musical motif, including the energetic drumming. It makes you realize that decades after the advent and widespread acceptance of the drum machine, there’s still something left behind.

Superfans also got a nice preview of some upcoming material at this weekend’s gigs. That includes some tracks from the forthcoming album, Loner, which drops July 11th on the aforementioned Ninja Tune.

Photo Credit: joaco_ds / reddit

Brazilian police have arrested two people in connection with an alleged plot to plant two explosive devices to bomb a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.

Lady Gaga’ show on the Copacabana Beach in Rio attracted the largest show of her career, with more than 2.1 million fans listening and dancing. The men plotting against the event were attempting to target LGBTQ attendees enjoying the show.

“They were clearly saying that they were planning an attack at Lady Gaga’s concert motivated by sexual orientation,” Felipe Curry, a Rio police secretary told the press. Rio police chief Luiz Lima said the group disseminated hate speech and violent content online aimed at “gaining notoriety online in order to attract more viewers and participants—most of them teenagers, many of them children.”

Brazilian police arrested two suspects in the hours before the concert got underway, with the concert going off without any disruption. At the time, police did not mention the bomb threat in an effort to avoid panic and the ‘distortion of information.’ Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lady Gaga says the pop star and her team learned about the supposed threat from media reports.

“Prior to and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risk,” the statement reads. “Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.”

5,200 police offers and military personnel were deployed on the beach to keep the event safe. “Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and molotov cocktails,” police said in a statement. Brazil’s Justice Ministry said it determined the group spreading hate online presented a risk to public order. Police raided homes of 15 suspects across several Brazilian states, confiscating phones and other electronic devices.

“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show, the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” Lady Gaga wrote on social media on Sunday morning. “The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historic moment with you.” Lady Gaga’s audience attendance record beat out Madonna’s May 2024 record of 1.6 million people watching her perform.

Photo Credit: Ethan Wilkinson

The Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit is now actively investigating Irish rap group Kneecap’s online videos. The investigation comes after videos surfaced of the group saying “kill Tory MPs.” The group also expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah, which are proscribed terrorist organizations in the United Kingdom.

The investigation was triggered by two videos, one from a 2023 performance with the statement “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” Another video from a 2024 concert in London shows a member of the trio appearing to say on stage “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed they were looking into the videos as there are “grounds for further investigation into potential offenses.”

“The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and inquiries remain ongoing at this time,” the Met Police spokesperson said in a statement. No charges or arrests have been made at this time.

Several Kneecap concerts have been canceled in the UK and Europe following the controversy. After their statements on stage at Coachella, the group lost their US work visa after their sponsor, booking agency Independent Artist Group (IAG), dropped them as clients. Once IAG ended its relationship, the sponsorship was revoked and their visas became invalid.

Kneecap has denied supporting Hamas or Hezbollah and claims their comments have been misrepresented. They have also issued statements expressing regret to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess, stating that they do not endorse violence.

The controversy around the group has sparked calls from politicians in the UK for Kneecap to be removed from festival lineups including Glastonbury. Meanwhile, many artists and musicians have signed open letters supporting the group’s right to free speech.

Photo Credit: Yvette de Wit

Live Nation reports a slow start in Q1 2025. But the company has lots of revenue booked that is yet to be realized, according to CEO Michael Rapino.

Live Nation’s Q1 2025 earnings report shows drops in total revenue and adjusted operating income compared to the same quarter the year prior. Overall revenue came to $3.38 billion—an 11% drop from last year, with adjusted operating income dropping 6% to $341 million.

The first quarter results come after Live Nation reported moderate year-over-year growth in its earnings last year. Live Nation showed a small increase in total revenue and a slower growth rate in adjusted operating income. But things have slowed since the burst in live event attendance in the couple of years post-COVID.

However, Live Nation isn’t forecasting dark skies all year, as CEO Michael Rapino pointed to event-related deferred revenue—money earned for future events they’ve got booked—stands at $5.4 billion. That’s up 24% year-over-year, and will lead to a “historic” year for live music, according to Rapino. Similarly, there were 95 million tickets sold for Live Event concerts, up double digits from the previous year.

“As more artists tour the world, fan demand is reaching new heights across ticket sales, show attendance, and on-site spending. Ticket sales are pacing well ahead of last year, with deferred revenue for both concerns and ticketing at record levels,” says Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation.

“To support even more fans seeing their favorite artists, we’re continuing to expand our global venue network, adding 20 major venues through 2026. As the global experience economy grows, the live music industry is leading the way, and we’re positioned to compound growth by double digits over many years.”

Globally, Live Nation had its best Q1 for concerts, with a revenue of $2.5 billion and a record adjusted operating income of $7 million, thanks to growth in markets like Latin America and Asia Pacific. International attendance was also similar to that of the prior year, with 22.3 million fans attending 11,300 shows. Sell-through rates in the first week for shows were consistent in this quarter with that of Q1 2024.

Photo Credit: Hugh Forrest for Penske Media

Former South by Southwest President Hugh Forrest says parent company Penske Media forced him out during an executive shakeup.

According to former South by Southwest (SXSW) President Hugh Forrest, leaving his role was not his choice. Instead, it was the decision of parent company, Penske Media, which now owns a 51% stake in SXSW.

“Leaving SXSW was definitely not my decision,” said Forrest in a statement. “I put my heart and soul into this event for more than 35 years—and I was looking forward to leading several more editions. To this end, I will be rooting big time for the Austin team going forward. The city, the country, the world needs the positive energy SXSW has traditionally provided, needs it now more than ever.”

Notably, his statement pushes back against Penske’s own about his exit. According to the publishing and events giant, its board elected Jenny Connelly to lead the Austin festival as its “director in charge.” This decision, they said, upset Forrest enough that he left the company. “When Hugh was told he was not going to get the CEO role at SXSW, and would be reporting to her, Hugh made the decision to leave SXSW,” reads a statement from Penske.

Forrest is one of 11 former employees who either left or have been fired by SXSW recently, including its veteran head of communications and its chief technology officer. Both their exits and the broader changes to SXSW were announced by Connelly on a video call last Friday.

According to The New York Times, SXSW did not meet Penske’s “ambitious” goals for the year—or in 2024. But the company has downplayed that assertion, focusing on this year marking “the highest ever sponsorship revenue in the history of the company.”

Penske Media acquired a 50% stake in SXSW in 2021, and it increased that stake by 1% two years later to take a controlling interest. Penske is the owner of Hollywood trade outlets such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

Photo Credit: NHL

Harmonica players from the Koreatown Senior and Community Center have captivated LA Kings fans with their rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

As the LA Kings geared up to face Edmonton over the weekend in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, players were reminded to “pack your harmonicas” before the show hit the road. But if you think a harmonica sounds like a strange thing to bring to a hockey game, you may not be familiar with the game’s superstitious nature.

While perhaps not as storied in its superstitions as baseball, hockey players aren’t afraid to show their appreciation for what they view as a good luck charm. This year, the harmonica has quickly become an unofficial good luck charm for the LA Kings, thanks to memorable pre-game performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” played by a group of senior citizens from the Koreatown Senior and Community Center.

Less than three miles away from the Kings’ home arena, the center offers 47 programs attended by around 1,500 people each week, according to Board Chair Yong Sin Shin. Seven years ago, a harmonica class was introduced, and the group started practicing the US national anthem in 2021.

Several class members played the song to start a Los Angeles City Council meeting at City Hall on June 7, 2023. “That day, we received a standing ovation from LA City Council members and over 100 attendees, which gave us great confidence,” said Shin.

This past January, the center was contacted by the Kings, said Shin, who were planning their K-Town Night to be held March 23, when the team hosted the Bruins. The center’s executive director, Kwanil Park, suggested the harmonica group play its well-received rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game. The Kings loved the idea.

That led to 13 women and one man from the harmonica class, dressed in traditional Korean hanbok, appearing at the game to play the anthem, “to an overwhelmingly positive response.” They were invited back for Game 1 against the Oilers last week, said Shin, and this time the group consisted entirely of women.

After the Kings’ incredible win that night, the team’s X/Twitter account posted, “The power of the harmonicas,” with photos from the game. That led to another performance of the group at the following game, this time with the harmonica players wearing Kings jerseys. “The HarmoniKings are 2-0,” declared the team’s social accounts after another win.

The team’s last few games have been away, but the Kings will arrive back home this postseason, and local fans are hoping they haven’t seen the last of the Koreatown Senior Center players.

“We are currently discussing it with the LA Kings,” said Shin.

Photo Credit: @eddysonline / TikTok

Is Katy Perry’s career at a crossroads? Once considered pop royalty, the singer has faced a wave of public backlash that began long before her 11-minute space walk. The pop singer has responded to the internet’s backlash, calling herself a ‘human piñata’ in the process.

Perry’s latest album 143 was intended to be a triumphant return for the pop singer, but instead it has widely been labeled a commercial disappointment. From lackluster chart performance to the tepid critical response—fans aren’t feeling it.

That’s partially due to Perry’s decision to work with producer Dr. Luke, who has faced long-standing sexual abuse allegations from Kesha. While Dr. Luke has denied the allegations and there have been no criminal charges, fans were not so forgiving. None of the songs from 143 charted on the Billboard Hot 100—and the album itself fell off the Billboard 200 charts just two weeks after debut.

Earlier this month, the pop singer joined an all-female Blue origin space tourism flight, which she called a groundbreaking flight for women in STEM. But the public reaction to the flight focusing on celebrities like Katy Perry and Gayle King’s experience instead of Aisha Bowe (former NASA rocket scientist) and Amanda Nguyen (bioastronautics research scientist) created a perfect storm of online backlash. Photos of Katy Perry kissing the ground went viral on social media, with Wendy’s tweeting “I kissed the ground and I liked it.”

The first videos from her Lifetimes Tour in Mexico City went viral just this week after her first show on April 23. Clips of the choreography were shared millions of times, with viewers expressing shock and dismay at her awkward moves. Dubbed the Queen of Cringe, many viewers questioned why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars to see a show worse than what you can find at Disneyland on the average day.

@eddysonline Katy Perry performs ET at the lifetimes tour opening night in Mexico City #katyperry #katycats #thelifetimestour #arenacdmx #katyperrymexico #teenagedream ♬ original sound – eddy’s online

With the general public lambasting her choreography for her Lifetimes Tour, Perry took to social media to address how the negative attention has impacted her.

“Please know I am okay, I have done a lot of work around knowing who I am, what is real and what is important to me,” the pop singer begins. “My therapist said something years ago that was a game-changer, ‘no one can make you believe something about yourself that you don’t already believe about yourself’ and if I ever do have any feelings about it then it’s an opportunity to investigate the feelings underneath it.”

“When the ‘online’ world tries to make me a human piñata, I take it with grace and send them love, cause I know so many people are hurting in so many ways and the internet is very much so a dumping ground for unhinged and unhealed.”

Photo Credit: Rendering of Honda Center Encore

Anaheim’s Honda Center announces a $1 billion privately funded renovation to reimagine the arena, spearheaded by longtime stewards, the Samueli Family.

OC Sports & Entertainment (OCSE) made the announcement of the multi-year investment led by the owners of the Anaheim Ducks. The comprehensive renovations will reimagine nearly every aspect of the venue. The project launched last fall and plans to run through the end of 2027. Importantly, Honda Center will remain open during all project phases.

“This is more than just an investment in a venue—it’s an investment in Anaheim and the future of Orange County as a global destination for live entertainment,” said Bill Foltz, Chief Executive Officer of OC Sports & Entertainment. “Honda Center Encore reflects our commitment to delivering a world-class experience for every guest, every visit—all made possible through the vision and generosity of the Samueli Family.”

Among the highlights of the Honda Center Encore transformation include a new five-story South Entrance with a “grand arrival experience,” and future plans for a high-impact digital display to host outdoor viewing parties and community events.

New escalators will improve vertical circulation and enhance guest flow through the arena; a complete refresh of the food and beverage spaces—including ten new concepts and the use of self-service technology—will elevate speed and convenience for guests. The debut of new opera box suites and a full renovation of all 68 existing luxury suites, plus an all-inclusive club with upscale experiences for premium guests, will offer unmatched views and hospitality.

Finally, the arena will see three new parking garages, increasing available parking by nearly 60%, alongside four new entry plazas with a distinct social aesthetic. The two general parking garages will begin serving guests as early as October 2025, streamlining entry with an all-inclusive model, and the first of its kind at a US arena—eliminating parking passes and enabling seamless entry and exit for ticketholders.

“As our partnership approaches two decades, we are proud to be a part of this reimagining of the Honda Center into a world-class facility where dreams come true,” said Jennifer Symington, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “This renewed commitment to the community and visitors will make Orange County and the Honda Center a premier destination for sports and entertainment.”

Photo Credit: Alexander Abero

With the TICKET Act’s passage in the U.S. House, several music industry organizations have released full statements in support of the action. Now the law must pass through the Senate.

Several music industry organizations released statements about the passage of the TICKET Act. Some of those statements praise the move, but also call attention to carve outs that may weaken the law as it is written. Here’s a peek at where many industry bodies stand on the passage.

National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)

“The speculative ticketing ban in the TICKET Act is an important step toward restoring trust in the ticketing market,” begins Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA. “Artists, independent venues, and promoters fought tirelessly over the last two years to secure this critical protection. Any ticketing law must truly ban speculative tickets without exception.”

“Unfortunately the inclusion of a ‘concierge service’ carve-out, as written in the TICKET Act, would undermine the speculative ticket ban. Concierge services should not be a loophole for companies like Vivid Seats to claim they are offering a service while selling ‘tickets’ they don’t possess to unsuspecting fans. States across the country have proven that strong, loophole-free ticketing consumer protections work, and Congress should build on that momentum.”

“The White House Executive Order on Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market also made clear that deceptive practices must be fixed, not re-branded. We urge Congress to amend language to make certain that ‘concierge services’ do not empower multi-billion dollar resale platforms over consumers.”

“Further, we support strengthening the law with enhanced penalties and enforcement authority for state attorneys general to deter bad actors and help ensure the law is being followed. Illegal bot use runs rampant in the ticketing industry because the FTC has only brought one enforcement action since the use of bots was banned in 2016. We hope Congress does not miss the opportunity to ensure these laws are actually enforced in the future.”

“We look forward to working with the Senate to ensure that fans, venues, and artists are prioritized in the final version of the TICKET Act.”

National Independent Talent Organization (NITO)

“The TICKET Act that just passed the house does not do nearly enough to protect fans and consumers against bad actors,” NITO said in a joint statement of members. “Vivid Seats spec ticket ‘seat saver’ program is still 100% legal. All-in pricing without itemization means fans won’t know the price the artist sets. Bots will continue to run rampant without stronger enforcement mechanisms.”

“NITO urges the Senate to strengthen this bill prior to passage and we will continue to advocate for stronger protections for our community.”

Recording Academy

“Today’s passage of the TICKET Act by the House of Representatives marks a significant step forward toward improving the concert ticket marketplace,” shares Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “The TICKET Act was a key focus of Grammys on the Hill and the Recording Academy thanks our Congressional leaders for bringing the bill to a vote shortly after meeting with Academy members. We now urge the Senate to act quickly to incorporate the strong provisions contained in the Fans First Act and move a comprehensive ticket reform package that will provide transparency and protect artists and their fans.”

Live Nation

“We’re grateful to Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Jan Schakowsky, Chairman Brett Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for re-introducing the TICKET Act, which includes an all-in pricing mandate and bans speculative ticketing—a deceptive scheme that targets concert-going fans. Live Nation has long advocated for such reforms, and we’re hopeful Congress could soon pass these important changes into law to make the concert industry better for fans and artists.”

The Coalition for Ticket Fairness (CTF)

“The Coalition for Ticket Fairness (CTF) applauds the House on the passage of the TICKET Act,” says the organization’s statement. “Introduced by Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky, the TICKET Act represents common sense reforms that will bring much needed transparency into the ticket buying process and give consumers more information as they make purchasing decisions. By empowering consumers, this bill will help lead to a better ticket buying experience and a healthier marketplace.”

Fix the Tix Coalition

“The Fix the Tix Coalition, representing every major constituency of the music and live events industry, applauds the passage of the TICKET Act, as an important step towards restoring trust in the ticketing ecosystem,” the statement reads. “The bill provides transparency with all-in pricing, and takes important steps to combat speculative tickets and deceptive websites.”

“The live entertainment ecosystem is counting on Congress to act in the best interests of fans to restore transparency and trust to our country’s broken ticketing system.”

Photo Credit: Kneecap.ie

Irish rap group Kneecap is facing swift fallout post-Coachella—its U.S. booking agency has parted ways with the group while two German music festivals have dropped them from the lineup. Here’s the latest.

Independent Artist Group (IAG) has confirmed it has parted ways with the group following their appearance at Coachella. Without IAG’s sponsorship, Kneecap’s U.S. work visas are no longer valid. That means the group cannot perform in the country for the foreseeable future—at least until they find a new sponsor. The fallout isn’t exclusive to the United States, either.

Two of Germany’s largest music festivals—Hurricane and Southside—have dropped Kneecap from their summer lineups. Both events are organized by FKP Scorpio and were expected to host the rap trio following their Coachella performance. But organizers announced their removal in a move that was applauded by advocacy groups who cited the band’s support for organizations classified as terrorist organizations in both the U.S. and Europe. Kneecap responded to this removal by announcing smaller headline shows in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne this September.

Meanwhile, U.K authorities have opened an inquiry into Kneecap’s public comments, combing through past performances on stage. The group previously apologized for a 2023 incident in which they told a crowd ‘Kill your local MP’—sparking inquiry into the group’s other comments on stage. Kneecap says they reject any suggestion they would seek to incite violence against any individual and that the footage was taken out of context. The group has also further denied any support for Hamas or Hezbollah.

Kneecap now seeks new representation for touring in the United States and has reconfigured its touring plans across Europe due to the cancellations. The group is supposed to tour across the United States starting in October, so it will be interesting to see if they find a new work visa sponsor. The situation underscores the heightened sensitivities and real-world consequences facing artists who use major platforms like the Coachella music festival to address contentious global issues on stage.

Photo Credit: Dylan Mullins

The House has passed the TICKET Act with a bipartisan vote of 409-15. Now the bill heads to the Senate to await a final vote before making it to the President’s desk.

The Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act has passed in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 409-15.

The bill, which has near-universal support from both parties, would ensure a fair, dynamic, and transparent ticket market for fans across the United States. It has also seen overwhelming support from consumer protection organizations, trade associations, and industry groups.

“The House has once again made clear: consumers deserve transparency and fairness when buying event tickets,” said John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud at the National Consumers League.

“This legislation puts an end to hidden fees and deceptive resale practices that have cheated fans for too long. With the House having acted, the Senate must now move swiftly to pass the TICKET Act and send it to the President’s desk. With so many live events coming this summer, consumers can’t afford more delays.”

“With another overwhelming bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives has reaffirmed what consumer advocates, artists, venues, and industry leaders all agree on: it’s time for transparency in ticketing,” said Brian Hess, Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition. “We thank Chair Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, Chair Bilirakis, and Ranking Member Schakowsky for their tireless advocacy on behalf of fans.”

“The TICKET Act delivers all-in pricing and comprehensive protections against deceptive practices that have plagued the ticket resale market for too long. We urge the Senate to pass the TICKET Act without delay. Together, we can build a marketplace that works for fans.”

Earlier this year, the TICKET Act passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.

The TICKET Act promises the following:

Illegalizing hidden ticket fees: mandating all-in, upfront pricing, so the first price you see is the last number you see, plus tax; providing fans a full refund to a cancelled event, or a comparable replacement ticket if the event is postponed.

Cracking down on misleading websites and deceptive URLs: ticket websites cannot claim to be “official” sellers or resellers unless they actually are; prohibiting sellers or resellers from using the names of venues, teams, artists, and events in their online domain names.

Banning deceptive “speculative” ticketing: sellers can only offer tickets they have in possession or offer ticket procurement shopping services; requiring clarity and a distinction between tickets for sale and ticket procurement services.

Maintaining the ability for fans to purchase through ticket procurement services, but requiring ticket sellers to ensure clear and conspicuous disclosures and a distinction between in-possession tickets and pay-now-procure-later shopping services.

Assessing the use of illegal software bots: requiring the FTC to study the 2016-enacted BOTS Act, its enforcement to date, and help identify the challenges with its enforcement.

Photo Credit: Parkwood Entertainment

Thousands of tickets remain available for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter opening run at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium this week.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour kicked off last night in Los Angeles, with thousands of tickets unsold. Meanwhile, resale prices have reportedly dipped below $25. Considering the album for which the tour is named earned Queen Bey Album of the Year at the Grammys, something just isn’t adding up.

But if fans thought the show would only include tracks from Bey’s country-themed album, they would be greatly mistaken. The nearly three-hour show kicked off with nearly every song from Cowboy Carter before launching into hits across her sizable catalog. And yes, that includes Renaissance.

After renditions of “Ameriican Requiem,” the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” “Ya Ya,” and nearly every other track from Cowboy Carter, the superstar announced, “Welcome back to the Renaissance, y’all.” It was then she launched into “I’m That Girl,” “Cozy,” and “Alien Superstar,” plus a western rendition of the “ballroom battle” her backup dancers engaged in every night on the Renaissance tour. The show featured tons of references and easter eggs for die-hard Beyoncé fans to spot.

Since Beyoncé only just wrapped up her career-spanning Renaissance tour in 2023, fans who expected the Cowboy Carter tour to include just songs from her latest album might have opted to skip it. And perhaps doubly so, given economic uncertainty, leading to many fans maybe not having the funds to attend a major concert in 2025.

Of course, Beyoncé’s been on the receiving end of a fair amount of criticism since releasing her foray into country music—despite winning her first Album of the Year Grammy for it. But that shouldn’t impact her fans’ decision to go see their idol; if anything, the realization that she’s using the Cowboy Carter tour as a way to expand her record-breaking Renaissance tour into a second act should be enticing.

Monday night saw the first of five shows at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, before she heads to Chicago and New Jersey. Whether clips of the show and news of the inclusion of her other career-spanning hits will lead to an increase in ticket sales remains to be seen.

Photo Credit: McDonald’s

After a report that tickets to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour cost “less than a McDonald’s Happy Meal,” fans took to social media to debunk that claim.

Last week, ahead of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour kicking off in Los Angeles, the lack of interest in tickets saw some uncharacteristically low prices—leading to plenty of roasting online. One user claimed they found resale tickets available for just $20, calling it “less than a McDonald’s Happy Meal.”

If you think that sounds strange, you’re not alone. It’s important to note the Happy Meal used as a comparison was the limited edition McDonald’s “Minecraft” meal for the film of the same name. That meal, designed as one of the fast food franchise’s “adult Happy Meals,” which includes more food than a kids’ meal.

But even that meal varied in price depending on the region, leading to even more confusion among music fans seeing that comparison. That was further compounded by most tickets for Cowboy Carter not dropping as low as $20—very few tickets on the resale market have gone for such prices, and they’re quickly snapped up. And those that do sell for that cheap are resale tickets, meaning the star already made her money from the initial sale.

Regardless, loyal fans of Queen Bey have pushed back against the narrative that the artist is in any way struggling. “Wait till the tour starts, once those clips start dropping, people will be flocking to get tickets,” one fan argued. Another pointed out the absurd comparison: “Where the f— are you guys getting a McDonald’s Minecraft meal for $21? At mine it’s like $14.”

While the naysayers insist that “nobody cares about the cowgirl version of Beyoncé,” the album’s success has shown otherwise. Cowboy Carter topped the Billboard 200 chart, while its lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Country chart. The album also earned her the Grammy for Album of the Year—her first in a sea of Grammy awards.

“This ain’t a country album,” the star said previously. “This is a Beyoncé album.”

The Cowboy Carter tour kicked off Monday night at SoFi Stadium with five shows lined up throughout the week. Afterward, the show heads to Chicago, New York, Houston, Las Vegas, London, Paris, and more.

Photo Credit: Daniel Kelly

Wiz Khalifa and Sean Paul have announced their 2025 co-headlining tour ‘Good Vibes Only’ headed across North America this summer—featuring special guest DaBaby.

Produced by Live Nation, the 15-date amphitheater run kicks off on July 6 in New York and includes additional stops across New Jersey, Ontario, Illinois, and Michigan before wrapping in Georgia. The run also includes a hometown performance for Wiz Khalifa in Burgettstown, PA. The tour announcement arrives after Wiz Khalifa’s most recent album Kush + Orange Juice 2, his eighth studio album. It’s the follow-up to his 2010 breakout mixtape Kush & Orange Juice.

The new album features production from Kush & Orange Juice producers Cardo, ID Labs, and Sledgren, as well as producers Mike WiLL Made-It, Juicy J, Jason Martin, Dominique Sanders, DJ Quik, Crazy Mike, TM88, Crash Dummy, Lex Luger, DJ Fresh, and Kenneth Wright. Featured collaborations on the album include OT Genasis, Ty Dolla $ign, Jason Martin, Luh Tyler, Michael Prince, LaRussell, Terrace Martin, Curren$y, Max B, Juicy J, DJ Quik, Larry June, Chevy Woods, rmr, Don Toliver, and Smoke DZA.

The Good Vibes Only Tour comes on the heels of Sean Paul’s 2025 UK arena tour with Ashanti, which is wrapping up in April. It also follows Sean Paul’s Greatest Tour, which saw over 20 performances across the United States in 2024.

Tickets will be available starting with a Citi and artist pre-sale on April 30 at 10 am local time. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of general on-sale beginning May 2 at 10 am local time.

Wiz Khalifa & Sean Paul’s ‘Good Vibes Only’ Tour Dates — 2025

July

• 06 | Darien Lake Amphitheater — Darien Center, NY
• 08 | Xfinity Center — Mansfield, MA
• 09 | Northwell at Jones Beach Theater — Wantagh, NY
• 10 | Freedom Mortgage Pavilion — Camden, NJ
• 12 | Riverbend Music Center — Cincinnati, OH
• 13 | Ruoff Music Center — Noblesville, IN
• 15 | Blossom Music Center — Cuyhoga Falls, OH
• 18 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, ON
• 19 | The Pavilion at Star Lake — Burgettstown, PA
• 21 | Hollywood Casino Amphitheater — St. Louis, MO
• 22 | Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre — Tinley Park, IL
• 23 | Pine Knob Music — Clarkston, MI

Photo Credit: Travis Scott by Frank Schwichtenberg / CC by 4.0

Coachella organizer Goldenvoice was fined $20,000 by the City of Indio for Travis Scott’s performance exceeding the city’s 1 AM curfew.

Goldenvoice, the operator of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, is facing a $20,000 fine issued by the City of Indio for Travis Scott’s performance on Weekend 1, which went past the city’s 1 AM curfew.

A city permit from 2013 outlining the conditions under which Goldenvoice can hold the festival mandates that all performances must conclude by 1 AM on Friday and Saturday, and midnight on Sunday. Each time a performance exceeds curfew, Goldenvoice will be fined $20,000, plus $1,000 each minute starting at the sixth minute after curfew.

This year, only one performance missed the curfew time. Travis Scott closed out both Saturdays of Coachella this year, but on Saturday, April 12, he started his set late and played until approximately 1:03 AM. The second weekend, he started late again, but managed to wrap up his set well before the cut-off.

It’s worth noting that a source familiar with the situation told TMZ that Green Day was running 15 minutes behind due to the “fireworks debacle” during their set, which led to a tree catching fire. This caused Travis Scott’s set to begin five minutes late.

According to a statement issued by the City of Indio, the $20,000 fine was the only one issued across all three music festival weekends—which also included the Stagecoach country music festival.

But this is far from the first time Goldenvoice has been fined after Coachella performances went past curfew. In 2009, after Paul McCartney went 54 minutes over, the promoter paid a $54,000 fine due to the $1,000-per-minute fine at the time.

In 2023, the company was hit with a whopping $117,000 fine during Weekend 1 when Bad Bunny, Frank Ocean, and Calvin Harris went past curfew. Then, during Weekend 2, a $51,000 fine was incurred by Bad Bunny, alongside DJs Skrillex, Fred Again, and Four Tet. In 2024, Lana Del Rey played 13 minutes past curfew during Weekend 2, leading to a $28,000 fine.

7-Eleven has finalized a Live Nation sponsorship deal, including When We Were Young naming rights. Photo Credit: 7-Eleven

Introducing 7-Eleven the music festival sponsor: The convenience chain has scored When We Were Young naming rights and more under a Live Nation partnership.

That newly announced partnership is already in full swing; When We Were Young’s poster has been updated to clarify that the festival is “Presented by 7-Eleven.” This marks the first time that the Las Vegas event “has welcomed a naming rights partner,” the companies emphasized.

Said naming rights will place 7-Eleven front and center on one of When We Were Young’s five stages. Additionally, the October happening is expected to feature “a quick-stop destination” powered by the chain, referring in part to a Slurpee-equipped “Hangout activation.”

(Side note: 7-Eleven ultimately belongs to Tokyo-headquartered Seven & I Holdings, which owns a major piece of the still-independent Tower Records Japan and a whole lot else. Perhaps not coincidentally, today’s tie-up has arrived as Live Nation is aggressively expanding in the Asian nation, most recently with the purchase of Hayashi International Promotions.)

Beyond When We Were Young, 7-Eleven is also set to have a presence at The Governors Ball in June.

Though Rakuten has dibs on a VIP offering, and Verizon is poised to present the festival’s “Cabanas” attendance option, 7-Eleven’s “Slurpee Street” will provide free beverage samples in Peace Tea and Fanta Zero Sugar Hibiscus Berry, the chain indicated.

Later yet in 2025, Rolling Loud Miami attendees will have access to “an amplified version” of Slurpee Street, complete with an “immersive activation” offering “a visually rich, music-infused experience,” 7-Eleven relayed.

“Live music is where culture and connection come alive, and that’s exactly where we want to be,” 7-Eleven chief marketing and sustainability officer Marissa Jarratt elaborated of the sponsorship. “By teaming up with Live Nation, we’re bringing the 7-Eleven brand to the heart of unforgettable fan moments.

“We’re eager to recreate the fun and excitement that comes with visiting a 7-Eleven store in an immersive music experience for the next generation of brand fans,” Jarratt finished.

In the bigger picture, a few main things stand out about the Live Nation/7-Eleven deal.

For organizers, against the backdrop of attendance woes in the wider festival space, there’s evidently a little-discussed option of bringing fresh sponsors into the fold – at least for certain happenings.

Adjacent to the point, potential sponsors are presumably focused on audience demographics as opposed to sell-through status. And at the intersection of those ideas, logic suggests that even comparatively small sponsorships like ticket pre-sales carry hefty price tags.

For companies without a clear-cut sponsorship upside, then, it might make more sense to explore cost-effective alternatives to multimillion-dollar agreements.

Photo Credit: Kneecap.ie

Ireland’s prime minister has called for hip-hop group Kneecap to clarify remarks made at shows urging fans to kill Tory MPs.

Micheál Martin, Ireland’s prime minister, has called for Irish hip-hop group Kneecap to “urgently clarify” comments allegedly made during the band’s concerts about killing Tory MPs.

Video of the group at a gig in November 2023 emerged, showing one member saying, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Footage of another show in November 2024 appeared to show a member of the rap trio shouting, “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah,” with a Hezbollah flag displayed.

“We were made aware of a video on 22 April, believed to be from an event in November, and it has been referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required,” said a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police. “We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.”

Similarly, a spokesperson for the UK government noted: “We unequivocally condemn threatening remarks made towards any individual.”

“Political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society. We recognize the chilling effect that harassment and intimidation of elected representatives can have on our democracy,” their statement continued. “All reports of intimidation, harassment, and threats are taken extremely seriously. We work with the police and Parliament to do everything in our power to crack down on threats to elected officials.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson called for an investigation into the band. “Promoting sectarianism, glorifying violence, and spreading division under the guise of ‘art’ is still hate,” Robinson noted.

Despite the uproar, none of the group’s members have been charged with any crime thus far. Kneecap has faced similar criticism after displaying messages related to the war in Gaza during their Coachella set in the California desert earlier this month. The band’s manager, Daniel Lambert, remarked that the band had received “severe” death threats since their Coachella set.

Photo Credit: Allan Pimenta

Following performances at both Coachella and Stagecoach, country music icon Shaboozey is hitting the road with ‘The Great American Roadshow’ tour.

The tour kicks off on September 22 in Indianapolis, IN before heading across North America for shows in Philadelphia, Nashville, Houston, and more. The Great American Roadshow Tour is supported by Coors Light and Jack Daniels. Shaboozey recently announced he joined the Coors Light’s Chill on Shuffle program, bringing more chill to the music scene.

Artist pre-sale tickets for The Great American Roadshow Tour begins April 29 at 10 am local time. Local pre-sale begins on April 20 at 10 am local time, while Spotify pre-sale tickets begin on May 1 at 10 am local time. General on-sale ticket times will begin on May 2 at 10 am local time.

Shaboozey is carving his own lane in the alternative country and hip-hop space. He began his epic rise to stardom with two standout features on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album—the only artist with multiple appearances on said album. His latest body of work, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200. The album’s smash single “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has achieved 4X RIAA-platinum certification and holds the longest reign of 2024 at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Shaboozey has garnered significant recognition across major music awards including five Grammy nominations in 2025 for categories including Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Best Country Song, Best Country Solo Performance, and Best Melodic Rap Performance. His accolades further include recognition as a SoundExchange Breakout Artist thanks to his smash single and album success.

Shaboozey’s ‘The Great American Roadshow’ Tour Dates

September

• 22 | Egyptian Room at Old Nation Centre — Indianapolis, IN
• 23 | The Fillmore Detroit — Detroit, MI
• 25 | The Fillmore Philadelphia — Philadelphia, PA
• 27 | The Dome — Virginia Beach, VA
• 29 | The Pinnacle — Nashville, TN

October

• 01 | Avondale Brewing Company — Birmingham, AL
• 02 | The Fillmore New Orleans — New Orleans, LA
• 05 | 713 Music Hall — Houston, TX
• 09 | Billy Bob’s Texas — Fort Worth, TX
• 12 | Jannus Live — St. Petersburg, FL
• 14 | War Memorial Auditorium — Fort Lauderdale, FL
• 16 | House of Blues Orlando — Orlando, FL

A Beyoncé Cowboy Carter billboard alongside the 10 freeway in West Los Angeles in West (Photo: Digital Music News)

Beyoncé tickets for her Cowboy Carter tour are hitting new low prices—some as cheap as a McDonald’s Minecraft meal—or parking at the show.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour may have hit too closely on the heels of her career-spanning Renaissance tour, leading to some incredibly low ticket prices. Concertgoers have been roasting the low demand for her upcoming shows online, with one user on X pointed to resale tickets hitting $20 on SeatGeek. Earlier, DMN reported prices hitting bottom at $25, though that floor keeps sinking.

One fan pointed out that some seats were going for $27, but prices had since gone back up to $37. Many noted the high number of available tickets only days before opening night. But fans of the hitmaker were quick to remind the naysayers that Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour didn’t sell out immediately either. That excursion went on to become the highest-grossing tour by a Black artist in history.

“Wait till the tour starts, once those clips start dropping, people will be flocking to get tickets, I know it,” insisted one fan.

Some critics are blaming the less than stellar ticket sales on the tour’s country theme, but the bigger issue seems to be how recently the superstar went on tour with her biggest hits. Most die-hard Beyoncé fans snagged Renaissance tickets and may not have the available funds for another major tour.

The Cowboy Carter tour kicks off tonight (April 28) at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, with five shows slated at the venue before heading to Chicago, New York, Houston, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., London, and Paris.

While some tickets, especially in the nosebleeds, are hitting record low prices, fans looking for seats up close to the action can still expect to pay hundreds of dollars. The prices contrast the massive mark-up that ‘superfans’ paid during the exclusive pre-sale for the tour earlier this year. Ticketmaster said demand during that pre-sale was up 800%, with some fans starting GoFundMe money pools to afford their tickets.

Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, home base for the LA Philharmonic (Photo: Monica Volpin)

Ticketing scams and glitches remain a serious concern for concertgoers, particularly given the difficulties many experience attempting to recover lost funds. The latest meltdown happened in Los Angeles over the weekend, where potentially dozens of LA Philharmonic concertgoers were turned away after StubHub sold the same tickets multiple times to different buyers.

It was a rough weekend for classical aficionados in Los Angeles, thanks to an unfortunate meltdown involving StubHub secondary tickets. The issue, which may have been the result of a coordinated scam, resulted in the same tickets being sold to multiple different buyers.

The result: a crowd of LA Philharmonic buyers were turned away despite holding StubHub-purchased tickets — while being told that people had already claimed their seats. According to those running the box office and ticketing at Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, the issue was a recurring theme all night, with potentially dozens of concertgoers left in the lurch.

The LA Phil’s Friday evening concert looked like a sellout, though the Philharmonic box office was able to directly sell a limited number of full-priced tickets to scrambling fans.

That included me: after StubHub informed me that my tickets had already been claimed and people were sitting in my seats, I scrambled to purchase a last-minute ticket. Others weren’t so lucky.

The LA Phil’s performance — which included a Mozart Piano Concerto and the work of early-20th-century composer Nielsen —  continued throughout the weekend. It’s unclear if the problem was resolved for the other shows.

StubHub offered to refund my original purchase ‘within 5-8 business days,’ and subsequently emailed that the issue was ‘under review’. A StubHub representative also offered to look into the situation, though others experiencing StubHub issues have reported struggles getting refunds on problematic tickets. For many, a refund simply isn’t enough — if it arrives.

(The ‘under review’ status for refunds seems to be a common point of frustration, with delays lasting weeks or even months — if the money is returned at all).

The problem is the latest ticketing snag impacting unlucky concertgoers.

Just recently, Irish and Scottish authorities warned of large-scale scams involving Oasis tickets sold by Ticketmaster. Those scams also involved tickets that didn’t exist, with fans being bilked of “large sums of money” after purchasing advance tickets or last-minute tickets that did not exist.

Similar problems have plagued Oasis tickets in North America, which prompted an ugly war-of-words between Ticketmaster and StubHub over the source of fake or ‘phantom’ tickets. After getting jabbed for offering fake tickets, StubHub quickly accused both Live Nation and Ticketmaster (as well as the National Independent Venue Association) of “partnering to spread false information about ticket availability in an attempt to further their own policy agenda and create distrust in the secondary market.”

In a quick retort, Live Nation fired back that “StubHub is lying,” while blaming the secondary ticketing platform for offering fake tickets immediately after tickets went on sale.

“Oasis tickets were offered for sale on StubHub immediately after the North American dates and venues were announced, before any on-sale, and before anyone had rights to particular seats – as the listings explicitly claimed,” the ticketing giant blasted.

Just last month, StubHub hackers were busted after scamming $600,000 worth of fake Taylor Swift tickets. The massive heist, which involved over 900 tickets, was the result of an inside job.

Photo Credit: Apollo Victoria Theatre in London by The Lud

StubHub announces a partnership with ATG Entertainment, making StubHub the official resale ticket partner for 16 ATG venues across the United States.

Fans will be able to purchase ATG Entertainment tickets directly through StubHub, enjoying a seamless, secure experience backed by StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee. The partnership is powered by StubHub’s proprietary technology, 25 years of fan behavior insights, and performance marketing that drives fan discovery and conversion.

Under the arrangement, ATG will set its first-run tickets, before StubHub takes over for the secondary sales. This enables fans looking to buy tickets on the secondary market to get them directly from StubHub instead of searching for the best price across secondary sites.

“This partnership is about opening doors for fans and for the theater industry,” said Adam Budelli, Head of Partnerships at StubHub. “ATG Entertainment understands that meeting audiences where they are at requires innovation and reach. StubHub brings both, and we’re excited to support the growth of live theater with a platform built for today’s fans.”

The partnership covers ATG’s six Broadway theaters: the Hudson Theatre, St. James Theatre, Al Hirschfeld Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theatre, August Wilson Theatre, and Walter Kerr Theatre. The first show available will be The Last Five Years, starring Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren, at the Hudson Theatre.

Other theaters included in the partnership are the King Theater in Brooklyn, Fisher Theatre in Detroit, Emerson Colonial in Boston, Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio, Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Mahalia Jackson Theatre in New Orleans, Detroit Music Hall, The Espee Pavilion in San Antonio, and Smart Financial Centre in Houston.

ATG Entertainment owns, operates, or programs 72 venues globally, including iconic theaters across the US and Europe, and serves over 18 million people worldwide. Tickets for select ATGE events will be available through StubHub in a few weeks.

“This partnership reflects a shared belief in the future of live entertainment,” said Lori Hotz, US CEO of ATG Entertainment. “StubHub’s innovative platform and expansive reach offer new ways to connect with audiences across genres. Together, we’re reimagining how fans discover and engage with live experiences across the country.”

ATG Entertainment is the latest to join StubHub’s expanding network of partners. The company’s partner momentum is part of a larger evolution, transforming StubHub from a resale-only marketplace into a fan-first, all-access destination for live experiences.

Photo Credit: The Come Up Show / CC by 2.0

Cornell University has revoked R&B singer Kehlani’s Invitation to headline its annual Slope Day celebration. The decision was announced by President Michael Kotlikoff following a Jewish student petition that garnered over 5,200 signatures in four days.

Kehlani was announced as the Slope Day performer on April 11, 2025, with the university’s Studen & Campus Life department confirming her selection as the first female headliner in 16 years for the May 7 event. The cancellation occurred 13 days later after students criticized Kehlani’s history of pro-Palestinian statements online and in music videos. Her 2024 music video for “Next 2 U” opens with the phrase, “Long live the Intifada” against a backdrop of Palestinian flags and dancers wearing keffiyehs.

The Cornellians for Israel group launched a petition against Kehlani as a headliner, stating that the singer’s use of “her platform to publicly call for the ‘intifada’ and to ‘dismantle Israel’” makes Jewish students feel unsafe. The petition called on the university to create an alternative experience for students who would feel uncomfortable.

Now President Kotlikoff has directly addressed the student body, announcing that Kehlani is no longer performing. “Unfortunately, although it was not the intention, the selection of Kehlani at this year’s headliner has injected division and discord into Slope Day,” Kotlikoff writes. “For that reason, I am rescinding Kehlani’s invitation and expect a new lineup for a great 2025 Slope Day to be announced shortly.”

“In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused anti-Semitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media. While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community—not dividing it.”

“I have spent the last few days talking privately with many students about Slope Day, and I appreciate the candor they shared. I also spoke with student Slope Day Programming Board, who agree that this selection has compromised what is meant to be an inclusive event. Going forward, we will work together to revise the process for researching and selecting performers for this important annual event.”

“I understand that my decision will be celebrated by some and criticized by others. I believe it is the right thing to do and the decision I must make to ensure community and safety at this high-profile event that reaches the entire campus. Cornell is an institution where ‘any person can find instruction in any study’ and where every person should feel included at the signature social event of the year.”

Kehlani has not publicly addressed the cancellation yet. Meanwhile, Cornell University is facing escalating federal scrutiny over how it handles anti-Semitism on its campus. The U.S. Department of Education launched a formal investigation into Cornell under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act following complaints of anti-Semitic harassment on campus—including threats made to Jewish students.

Photo Credit: Paulo Nunes dos Santos (Kneecap.ie)

Irish rap group Kneecap are facing a British counter-terrorism investigation after footage from a concert went viral on social media.

The footage was posted online by Danny Morris of the Community Security Trust charity. Morris says the footage is from a gig in November 2024 at London’s Kentish Town Forum. The video shows the hip-hop trio on stage, with one member appearing to shout ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ at the crowd.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are considered proscribed terrorist groups in the UK and under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, it is an offense to express “an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organization.” A Metropolitan Police spokesperson says it has been made aware of the video and has referred it to the counter-terrorism unit.

“We have been made aware of the video and it has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required,” the spokesperson concludes. Kneecap’s set at Coachella sparked outcry over its anti-Israel messaging, with large text appearing on the stage, ‘Fuck Israel, Free Palestine.’

Sharon Osbourne called for Kneecap’s US work visas to be revoked after the performance. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kneecap member Mo Chara replied: “her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply, but she should listen to War Pigs that was written by Black Sabbath—led by Ozzy Osbourne, her husband.”

The incident has reignited debates about the boundaries of political expression at music festivals and the responsibilities of event organizers. Kneecap said their first weekend set was censored to remove political activism, while the second weekend’s set was not livestreamed due to the political statements made by the band. Kneecap says they feel a duty to use their platform to highlight what they describe as the oppression of Palestinians.

Photo Credit: Simon Emmett

Lloyds Banking Group has issued a report on Oasis ticket scams, revealing that collectively, Oasis fans have lost £2M ($2.7M). The average victim loses £436 ($580) on average—mostly on scams instigated through Meta platforms.

Fans of Oasis are being targeted by a surge of ticket scams on social media as the group plans its first tour since 2009. Lloyds’ analysis of scam reports made by its own customers found that there were more than 1,000 cases of fraud since the sold-out tour was announced August 2024. Oasis fans make up the bulk of reported ticket scams, with 56% of targeted ticket scams.

Victims of these ticket scams have lost on average £436 ($580), which is around £200 ($266) more than the average ticket scam. The biggest amount lost in a single case so far was more than £1,700 ($2,264). While this data is based solely on information gathered by Lloyds about its customers’ activities, the bank estimates that across the UK there are at least 5,000 ticket scam victims since the summer tour was announced—with over £2 million ($2.7M) lost to fraudsters.

Fraudsters appear to be targeting fans aged 35-44, with that age cohort making up 30% of all ticket scam cases. Edinburgh, Warrington, and Manchester have the highest number of victims, with the top 10 locations overall making up around 25% of all scam cases. The top ten locations where scam victims reside were Edinburgh, Warrington, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Plymouth, and Newport.

So how are the ticket scams happening?

Lloyds says the bulk of the ticket scams are taking place on social media, with more than 90% of reported cases starting with fake ads, posts, or listings on Meta-owned platforms. The vast majority of them begin on Facebook. Victims are asked to pay upfront for the tickets, but once the payment is made, the scammers vanish. Ticket scams typically occur in two waves, once when the tickets are first released for sale and again as the event date approaches.

“The Oasis tour is the largest target for ticket scammers, with millions of pounds of fans’ money stolen before the gigs even kick off,” says Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director for Lloyds. “The fact that so many cases start with fake listings on social media, often in violation of the platforms’ own rules, underscores the importance of these companies taking stronger action to tackle scams.”

“If you’re asked to pay via bank transfer, particularly by a seller you’ve found on social media, that should immediately set alarm bells ringing.”

Lloyds suggests fans only pay with a debit, credit, or PayPal account to avoid scammers—since these methods are easier to recover money than bank transfers.

Photo Credit: Web Summit / CC by 2.0

Billy McFarland is looking for a buyer for the Fyre Festival name after cancelling his second attempt at hosting a destination festival. He recently licensed the ‘Fyre’ name (in perpetuity) to a media company that will run free, ad-supported music television channels later this year.

McFarland officially announced the cancellation of Fyre Festival 2 after indefinitely postponing the festival. It was supposed to be hosted in Playa del Carmen from May 30 to June 2—but permits shared by McFarland and Co. highlighted that the live music festival was little more than a hotel permitted to play recorded music for a gathering of around 250 people. Anyone who purchased a ticket to Fyre Festival 2 will be refunded.

Fyre Festival was the subject of two documentaries after the much-lauded beach bash turned out to be little more than refugee tents and cheese sandwiches in styrofoam boxes. Announced acts like Blink-182 and Migos dropped out, while guests arrived to find naked mattresses stacked in igloo-looking tents spread out on the sparse beach. The whole event landed McFarland in prison for four years on federal fraud charges.

Now in an official statement on the Fyre Festival website, McFarland says he’s seeking a buyer of the Fyre Festival name—calling it the “most powerful attention engine” in the world.

“Over the past two years, we’ve poured everything into bringing Fyre back with honesty, transparency, relentless effort, and creativity. We’ve taken the long road to rebuilding trust. We rebuilt momentum. And we proved one thing without a doubt: Fyre is one of the most powerful attention engines in the world.”

“Since 2017, Fyre has dominated headlines, documentaries, and conversations as one of the world’s most talked-about music festivals. We knew that Fyre was big, but we didn’t realize just how massive it would become. That wave has brought us here, to a point where we know it’s time to call for assistance.”

“This brand is bigger than any one person and bigger than what I’m able to lead on my own. It’s a movement. And it deserves a team with the scale, experience, and infrastructure to realize its potential. We have decided the best way to accomplish our goals is to sell the Fyre Festival brand, including its trademarks, IP, digital assets, media reach, and cultural capital—to an operator that can fully realize its vision.”

Billy McFarland still owes $26 million in restitution to victims of the first Fyre Festival debacle. While he’s right that Fyre Festival attracts eyeballs and is very talked about, none of the attention is positive attention. The brand ‘Fyre Festival’ has now become synonymous with failure, with some live music fans branding this year’s Coachella ‘worse than Fyre Festival’ after lengthy delays and technical issues. (But hey, at least Coachella did have all the live music you could enjoy with actual luxury accommodations to boot.)

Photo Credit: Amelia Troubridge

Electronic trio Above & Beyond are returning to North America for a 13-date amphitheater tour in support of their latest studio album, Bigger Than All Of Us.

Presented by Live Nation and spanning three months, the tour marks the group’s first full album tour in North America since 2018. It kicks off on August 15 in Vancouver and concludes on October 4 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Other stops include major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and Atlanta.

Bigger Than All Of Us explores themes of reconnection—a message that will come to life on this tour both musically and visually. Debuted to tens of thousands of fans across two weekends at Coachella, the new stage production elevates the band’s live show experience like never before. The production features a spaceship-inspired DJ booth designed to immerse the audience in a fluid, circular environment.

Born from a vision by the band and further developed by longtime collaborators Dylan Byrne and Neil Marsh, the concept aims to break away from the rigidity of traditional stage design. A dynamic LED ring interacts with the screen behind it, creating a sense of movement, warmth, and connection.

“Our music has always been about togetherness, connection, and the shared emotional experience,” the band says. “This tour—and this stage—is a celebration of that feeling, brought to life in a new way.”

Pre-sales for the new tour open on Wednesday, April 30 at 10 am local time, with general on-sale beginning on Friday, May 2 at 10 am. New music from the album is already rolling out. The single “Quicksand (Don’t Go)” with Zoë Johnston is now available on Anjunabeats.

Above & Beyond North American Tour Dates — Bigger Than All Of Us

August

• 15 | Deer Lake Park — Vancouver, BC
• 16 | Cascades Amphitheater — Ridgefield, WA
• 22 | Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island — Chicago, IL
• 29 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, ON

September

• 05 | Forest Hills Stadium — New York, NY
• 06 | Lader Bank Pavilion — Boston, MA
• 12 | Orlando Amphitheater — Orlando, FL
• 13 | Lakewood Amphitheatre — Atlanta, GA
• 19 | Germania Insurance Amphitheater — Austin, TX
• 20 | Dos Equis Pavilion — Dallas, TX
• 27 | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre — Denver, CO

October

• 02 | The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park — San Diego, CA
• 04 | Shoreline Amphitheatre — Mountain View, CA

Photo Credit: Carlos Santana by Eddie Janssens / CC by 4.0

Carlos Santana postponed his San Antonio concert after a dehydration scare saw him hospitalized out of an abundance of caution.

Carlos Santana was scheduled to perform at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio last night (April 22). But the event was cancelled after Santana suffered from dehydration and was taken to a local hospital for observation.

“It is with profound disappointment that I have to inform you all that tonight’s show in San Antonio has been postponed,” wrote Santana’s manager, Michael Vrionis.

“Mr. Santana was at the [Majestic Theatre] preparing for tonight’s show when he experienced an event that was determined to be dehydration,” Vrionis continued. “Out of an abundance of caution and the health of Mr. Santana, the decision to postpone the show was the most prudent course of action.”

“He is doing well and is looking forward to coming back to San Antonio soon, and continuing his US tour,” Vrionis added, assuring fans that the show “will be rescheduled soon.” He instructed concert attendees to hold on to their tickets, as a new date would be rescheduled in San Antonio “as soon as possible.”

The 77-year-old Santana is still scheduled to perform at the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land tonight, but it’s unknown if this show will end up postponed as well. Since he was reportedly doing well, it’s expected that he will still hit the stage in Sugar Land tonight.

Santana has been traveling across the United States for his Oneness Tour 2025, named for a 1979 solo live album consisting primarily of instrumental guitar ballads. In June, Carlos and his band head to Europe for the summer, before returning stateside to play a series of shows as part of a Las Vegas residency.

Carlos Santana was the lead guitarist and founder of the group that bears his name, Santana, before he broke out as a solo artist. He and his former bandmates have reunited for performances and press appearances throughout the years, but his current tour bills him as a solo act.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Lil Wayne announces his first-ever headlining show at Madison Square Garden on June 6. The performance coincides with the release of his latest album, Tha Carter VI.

For the first time, Lil Wayne will headline New York’s Madison Square Garden in a special performance on Friday, June 6. The show celebrates and coincides with the release of the rapper’s highly anticipated new album, Tha Carter VI.

Tha Carter VI is the follow-up to Wayne’s 2020 release, Funeral, and the latest installment in his Tha Carter series since 2018’s Tha Carter V.

Tickets will be available starting with artist presales beginning Wednesday, April 23. The general onsale will start Friday, April 25 at 10 AM local time on Live Nation’s website.

By 2020, Lil Wayne cemented his legacy as “one of the best-selling artists of all time,” with sales in excess of 100 million records worldwide; 25 million albums and 90 million digital tracks sold in the United States alone. In 2022, Wayne earned his first Diamond certification from the RIAA with his smash hit “Lollipop” featuring Static Major.

Among his accolades, Wayne has garnered 11 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two MTV VMAs, and eight NAACP Image Awards. He also emerged as the “first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100,” with a whopping 183 entries — the third-most of all time.

With a discography highlighted by five career-spanning No. 1 debuts, beginning with 2008’s Tha Carter III and its 2011 successor, Tha Carter IV, he released the latest version of the series in 2018. In addition to reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it also achieved the second-largest streaming week for an album in history. Every song on the album charted on the Billboard Hot 100, making Wayne “the first artist to debut two songs in the top 5.”

Wayne owns and operates Young Money Entertainment. The company ignited the careers of two of the most successful artists: Drake and Nicki Minaj. A committed philanthropist, Wayne also founded The One Family Foundation.

Photo Credit: Bluefest

Australia’s Bluefest 2025 drew a record 109,000 attendees—the third-highest in its history. It’s also the largest attendance record for any Australian festival since the pandemic. Despite organizers’ stating ‘festivals are back’, the live music scene in Australia is still struggling.

Bluefest’s success has been attributed to its loyal fan base and due to the fact that the festival was marketed as potentially the last Bluefest—driving ticket sales. A look at the data shows that only 56% of Australian music festivals were profitable in the 2022-2023 financial year, while 35% operated at a loss and 8% broke even.

The 2024-2025 festival season saw the cancellation of major music festivals including Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo, Coastal Jam, Falls Festival and Souled Out—among many others. Organizers for these festivals cite financial instability, rising costs, and insufficient ticket sales to continue supporting large music festivals.

Nearly 47% of festival organizers have cited rising operational costs as the most significant barrier. According to a report from The Australia Institute, the average cost to run a music festival in the country now sits at around $3.9 million. Inflation in the sector is up 30-40% since the pandemic, squeezing margins and making it harder to deliver compelling line-ups that will attract necessary ticket sales to support large festivals.

The live music scene demographics are also changing. Whereas music festivals were previously geared toward young people (18-24), there has been a drastic decline in ticket purchases from this demographic. That demo made up 41% of ticket sales in 2018-2019, but just 27% in 2022-2023. Attendees are also waiting longer to buy tickets, leading to increased uncertainty for organizers.

The success of Bluefest stands as an exception rather than the rule, with its director previously warning of an extinction event for live music. So what is the Australian government doing to help out? So far, the government has committed a total of $25 million over the next two years to extend the Revive Live program. This program provides targeted grants to majority Australian-owned live music venues and festivals that showcase Australian talent. This funding includes $7.8 million already delivered, $8.6 million in the 2025-26 budget, and an additional $16.4 million announced in April 2025.

Since the pandemic, over 1,300 live music stages have closed in Australia, impacting jobs and local economies. The funding is seen as essential to stabilize the sector, create more performance opportunities, and help the live music industry recover and grow.

Hayashi International Promotions head Kaori Hayashi, whose company has sold to Live Nation. Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation’s aggressive international buildout has officially reached Japan, where the promoter has acquired Hayashi International Promotions (HIP).

The Ticketmaster parent announced its newest buyout in a brief release. Founded some four decades back and currently led by the namesake Kaori Hayashi, Hayashi International has, of course, organized concert series for a variety of Japanese acts.

Additionally, the Tokyo-headquartered business has promoted a number of shows in Japan for international talent. Global clients include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Fall Out Boy, and Linkin Park, the appropriate website shows.

Now, at least as Live Nation sees things, today’s deal “will enhance Japan’s live music landscape” both by attracting “global superstars” to the nation and by “elevating J-pop on the international stage.”

While the involved parties opted against divulging the transaction’s financials, they did indicate that Kaori Hayashi will remain at the helm moving forward. In a statement, Live Nation head Michael Rapino touted the purchase as a means of bringing “even more live music to fans across Japan.”

And in remarks of her own, Kaori Hayashi emphasized the sale’s perceived ability to help Hayashi International Promotions operate on a “greater scale.”

“HIP has been at the heart of Japan’s live music scene for over 40 years,” the exec communicated, “and our focus has always been on delivering incredible concerts for fans.

“Partnering with Live Nation allows us to keep doing this with greater scale, giving Japanese artists the opportunity to perform to new audiences and strengthening Japan’s position as a must-visit destination for major acts,” Kaori Hayashi concluded.

For Live Nation, the play is just the newest in a line of international expansions to arrive as the company grapples with a fresh round of stateside antitrust scrutiny.

Furthermore, the promoter is also encountering regulatory hurdles in Europe, where rivals like CTS Eventim are expanding aggressively and reporting solid growth.

At the intersection of those points – the antitrust crackdown and the stiff competition in Europe – Live Nation is apparently zeroing in on different regions. Besides today’s buyout, that refers to recent venue investments in Singapore, Portugal, Canada, and South Africa, on top of ticketing pushes throughout Africa and elsewhere.

Separately, Japan-focused expansions aren’t confined to the events side. Universal Music bought A-Sketch in February, Hybe rebranded its Japanese division that same month, and Believe in March scored a Teichiku Entertainment distribution deal.

Photo Credit: Coachella

Coachella’s 2025 edition just wrapped up, and festival organizers have wasted no time in announcing the event’s 2026 edition.

The 2025 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival just finished up its second weekend, and it’s already time to look toward next year’s edition. The first weekend of Coachella’s 2026 edition is set for Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12. Meanwhile, the second weekend takes place from Friday, April 17, through Sunday, April 19. Like always, Coachella takes place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

The advance sale for the 2026 festival’s passes begins at 11 AM on Friday, May 2. Those interested in attending next year can head to the festival’s website to sign up for updates on pass details, payment plan info, and more. Prices for the 2025 edition started at $599 for general admission and $1,199 for VIP, with prices varying depending on the weekend.

Hotel and Safari camping packages for both weekends are also available, with a three-night general admission hotel package starting at $431.91 per person per night. Three-night VIP packages start at $678.58 per person per night.

Interestingly, Coachella will continue ahead as a two-weekend affair, despite less-than-stellar ticket sales in 2025. The festival expanded into a two-weekend event back in 2012.

Fans are already speculating about who might headline next year’s festival, with several names in particular at the top of many people’s minds. Kendrick Lamar and SZA have been busy with their co-headlining Grand National Tour, which continues through August 9. Lamar headlined Coachella back in 2017, while SZA performed there the following year, but has yet to bag a headlining slot. Coming off the heels of their international tour, perhaps 2026 could be her year.

Another name that seems to be at the top of fans’ wishlist is Olivia Rodrigo. She made her Coachella debut in 2024 when she hit the stage as a special guest for No Doubt, performing “Bathwater” with Gwen Stefani. Similarly, pop darlings Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan made their debuts at Coachella in 2024, but fans are already hoping they’ll return.

Festival goers are also hoping for a Dua Lipa appearance in 2026, which would mark her first time on the bill. Rumors circulated that she was offered a spot in 2024, but the timing didn’t work out.

Usually, at least one rock group secures a headlining spot, which went to Green Day this year. Fans are hoping perhaps Rage Against the Machine, who performed at the first Coachella festival in 1999 and then headlined in 2007, might make an appearance in 2026. They were set to headline the 2020 edition, but it was ultimately cancelled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although fans thought maybe they would headline the post-COVID festival in 2022, that didn’t pan out.

Photo Credit: Ashley King / YouTube

The landscape of late night television has long served as a critical launchpad for artists seeking mainstream exposure. But the golden era of musical bookings moving the discovery needle is undeniably in decline—for a variety of reasons.

A new report from Consequence highlights how musical bookings have become less common after the pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strikes—but also due to host direction. Ten years ago, late night TV was a must-stop for new music acts. Between the years of 2011 and 2013, annual musical performances on late night shows peaked at over 800. Numbers have plummeted since then, with 2023 seeing barely 200 bookings.

‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ has stopped booking musical guests altogether, following the show’s house band being cut due to budget constraints. The transition from David Letterman to Stephen Colbert as the host of ‘The Late Show’ has also precipitated a vast decline in musical bookings.

With Letterman as a host, ‘The Late Show’ regularly booked over 150 musical guests annually. Since Colbert’s takeover, the show has not surpassed 100 musical guests in a single year since 2017. Last year, ‘The Late Show’ only booked 50 musical performances—highlighting the decreased focus on music as a driver of viewership.

Photo Credit: Consequence

‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ and ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ still prioritize music with over 150 bookings annually—but the trend is still downward. That’s partially because late night TV itself is on a downward trajectory. ‘The Late Show’ is the genre’s ratings leader and has experienced a 32% drop in audience viewership in the 2023/24 season. ‘The Tonight Show’ saw an even steeper fall, losing 41% of its audience in the same period, while ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ is down 11%.

The rise of streaming platforms and social media has made traditional late night TV shows less essential for viewers. Many now prefer to watch highlights online the next morning rather than tuning into the show live. With late night TV’s cultural relevance fading, it’s no small surprise that musical bookings are down amid rising production costs for a dying format.

The only late-night program that seems resilient to the decline is ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Recently celebrating its 50th season, SNL’s musical guest slot remains a coveted right of passage for artists across many different genres. SNL still maintains the gold standard of late night music exposure, with artists often seeing immediate spikes in streaming numbers following their appearance.

Photo Credit: Danny Howe

Australia’s festival sector is suffering more than most, so the Australian Greens have announced a $20 million annual Festivals Support Package.

Between rising insurance costs, climate impacts, and reduced consumer spending, Australia’s festival circuit is suffering even more than those worldwide. But the Australian Greens have announced a $20 million (12.8 million USD) annual Festival Support Package designed to strengthen and stabilize the country’s live events sector.

Greens’ spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young officially launched the plan over the weekend at Bluesfest Byron Bay alongside local candidate Mandy Nolan and Bluesfest Director Peter Noble. The announcement went public late Friday night, ahead of the policy launch the following day at the festival.

“Our festivals are in crisis,” said Senator Hanson-Young. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen the cancellation after cancellation of loved and iconic festivals. It’s clear that the government needs to step in to help the industry.”

“A plan for the arts is nothing without the funding required to support the industry,” Senator Hanson-Young explained. “The Greens’ plan for supporting our festivals takes a holistic view of what the sector needs. That means direct support in the form of grants, a review of the market failure in insurance for live events, a federal strategy for sustainability, and tax offsets for both venues and artists.”

She stressed that festivals play a critical role in the development of Australian talent and the live music ecosystem worldwide.

“Festivals are an essential part of the music ecosystem and an important part of our culture,” she said. “It’s how Australian artists build new audiences that help set up their careers — and it’s how young people build a love for live music.”

The announcement is well timed, as numerous high-profile live events have been cancelled in recent years, many of which take place in Australia, including Falls Festival and Splendour in the Grass. Smaller regional festivals face even more insurmountable issues with logistics and financial barriers.

“Festivals matter,” said Hanson-Young. “They inject money and enthusiasm into our local communities from the cities to the regions. I’m excited to be making this announcement at Bluesfest, an iconic Australian festival and a great example of how investment in the arts drive local, regional economies.”

Photo Credit: @alung1999 on YouTube

Lady Gaga’s set at Coachella’s Weekend 2 hit some mic issues, but she powered through with style: “At least you know I sing live,” she told the crowd.

Lady Gaga’s epic Coachella 2025 set was briefly hit with a snag when her mic began glitching during “Abracadabra,” her second song of the night, but the 14-time Grammy winner powered through with her choreography. Soon, the star re-emerged with a working mic.

“I’m sorry my mic was broken for a second,” she told the crowd. “At least you know I sing live. I guess all we can do is our best, and I’m certainly giving you my best tonight.”

The performance marks Lady Gaga’s first time performing at Coachella since 2017, when she replaced Beyoncé on the lineup. For the festival’s 2025 edition, she came equipped with tracks from her latest album, Mayhem, and some of her other biggest hits.

“Since the last time I played Coachella, I’ve had some songs come out,” she said as she led into her hit “Shallow,” which won her an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe when she originally sang it in 2018 with Bradley Cooper in their A Star Is Born remake. “But one of them, I think back to being here and remember how special it was that I got to perform here. And we filmed a movie, a movie that changed my life, helped me say something I hadn’t said before.”

“I hope you sing it as loud as you can,” she continued. “There ain’t nothing like you. Come on — let’s get far from the shallow.”

This year, in addition to Gaga, Coachella’s headliners included Green Day, and Post Malone, with a special performance from Travis Scott. Other notable performances included Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Missy Elliott, Shaboozey, Benson Boone, Ty Dolla $ign, The Original Misfits, Prodigy, Jimmy Eat World, Zedd, and many more.

The Baroeg, a Rotterdam venue and Stager client. Photo Credit: Emvee

On the heels of a partnership announcement involving Amsterdam-headquartered Eventix (now Weeztix) and Spotify, Rotterdam’s Stager has scored an integration deal of its own.

13-year-old Stager, which bills itself as an “all-in-one tool for event organizers,” took to LinkedIn to disclose its Spotify tie-up. Besides dealing in ticketing, the former business develops event-planning software, marketing tools, and more, according to its website.

Under the pact, “all” Stager’s venue and festival clients – most of which look to operate in the Netherlands – will have the option of plugging passes directly on Spotify artist pages, the events company emphasized.

“Last year,” Mike van Gaasbeek-founded Stager disclosed, “over 21,000 artists played a show at a venue, club or festival using Stager. This integration now unlocks huge potential for event organisers to reach engaged audiences on Spotify and sell more tickets through Stager.”

At the time of writing, Spotify didn’t appear to have put out a formal release regarding its newest integration. But aside from unveiling the aforementioned Weeztix/Eventix union, the service in February hosted an exclusive Pantera presale. March then brought the rollout of a personalized “Concerts Near You” playlist.

In other words, 2025’s initial four months have seen Spotify, currently organizing branded concert events to boot, expand aggressively on the live side.

Normally, this wouldn’t be too noteworthy; Spotify has been testing the live/ticketing waters for a while and certainly isn’t a stranger to music-streaming-adjacent buildouts.

However, the moves are particularly interesting in light of the forthcoming Super-Premium tier. Aside from a heightened monthly cost, we don’t know exactly what the superfan-geared plan will bring to the table.

That said, reports have identified remixing features, a long-awaited audio-quality upgrade, and exclusive concert presales (and/or access to desirable seats) as possible Super-Premium perks.

Late February saw Live Nation head Michael Rapino confirm Super-Premium ticketing talks with Spotify – on top of similar discussions with different DSPs yet. Simultaneously, the exec indicated in more words that exclusive presales wouldn’t come cheap for Spotify or its competitors.

Following all these points to their logical conclusion, it might not be too long before some tickets are available exclusively through Spotify. Running with this point, superfans would then be compelled to cough up extra cash in order to secure passes.

Of course, we can’t tell for sure how consumers would respond to the development – though in general, fans seem far from attached to today’s leading ticket platforms. Similarly, many acts (especially Europe-based professionals who are mostly or entirely playing non-Live Nation venues) might not be too concerned about shifting a portion of their ticketing to Spotify.

Photo Credit: Miami Worldcenter

Downtown Miami’s cultural landscape is about to reach new heights as Miami Worldcenter celebrates its grand opening. The $6 billion mixed-use destination will celebrate with a free, star-studded concert and block party on May 22.

The event is a showcase of international talent and a testament to Miami’s growing stature as a global music and entertainment hub. The evening’s programming will kick off with Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the U.S.A.” to set a patriotic tone before the stage ignites with performances by superstars including Flo Rida, Nicky Jam, and Shaggy. The night culminates in a high-energy block party set by Swedish DJ and producer Alesso. Miami’s own DJ Irie and DJ Scotty B will host.

Beyond the free concert, the event is a strategic platform for Miami Worldcenter’s 300,000 square feet of retail, dining, and lifestyle experiences. Attendees will enjoy immersive street activations, food and beverage tastings, and experiential performances throughout the 27-acre pedestrian-friendly development. The grand opening official sponsors include Openbank by Santander, Ray-Ban, CitizenM, Lucky Strike, E11EVEN Vodka, Nestlé, and Rentyl Resorts.

Admission is free with RSVP, making the event accessible to the public. The location at 850 NE 2nd Avenue is transit-friendly with nearby access to Brightline, Metrorail, Tri-Rail, and Metromover as well as ample parking available in adjacent garages. Anyone interested in attending the grand opening concert should RSVP through Eventbrite. Doors open at 6 pm and the concert will begin at 7:30 pm.

Miami Worldcenter was brought to life by master plan developers Miami Worldcenter Associates, led by Managing Partners Art Falcone and Nitin Motwani, in partnership with Los Angeles-based CIM Group, a community-focused real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender, and developer. Together they have assembled a best-in-class development team that is transforming Miami’s urban core into one of the country’s largest mixed-use lifestyle destinations.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0

Reggie Watts attended the first week of Coachella this year, taking to social media to share his thoughts. They might explain why Coachella has struggled to sell-out both weekends for several years now.

With the first weekend of Coachella behind us and the second week upcoming, many live music fans have taken to social media to criticize the festival. Attendees highlighted the poor food experiences, with one couple paying over $100 for a couple tacos, nachos, and two lemonades. Reggie Watts articulated his problems with the festival on Instagram.

“I’ve been to Coachella a handful of times now, and while the scale is impressive, the soul feels increasingly absent,” Watts begins. “The experience is confusing and impersonal—checkpoint after checkpoint, wristband logic puzzles, security everywhere. Most people on the grounds move like walking credit cards, pinging from one branded experience to the next.”

“There’s no real sense of love coming from the festival toward the people. No care. No reverence. Just vibes curated for influencer culture. You’ll catch glimpses of something real—an artist pouring their heart out on stage, a sudden wave of connection—but those moments are fleeting. They’re easily lost in the chaos, buried beneath logistics, the brand activations, the overpriced everything.”

“And then there’s the waste—plastic, garbage, trash in the desert wind. Leaving is especially grim. You’re navigating dust storms, people hustling to buy your wristband, and a general sense that it was all a transaction, not a shared experience. If you’ve got asthma or care about your breathing, bring a mask. Seriously.”

“There are better ways to do this. There are independent festivals run by people who give a shit—about the music, the artists, the fans, the land. They treat performers with care and build environments where real community can take root. That’s where the magic is. That’s what’s worth supporting.”

In recent years, Coachella has experienced a decline in ticket sales and has failed to sell out consistently. That marks a significant shift from its historical status as a highly sought-after live event. Artist headliners can only do so much to draw in the crowds—rising ticket prices, the ongoing cost of living crisis, and a shift in audience and cultural trends can explain those low ticket sales.

As Reggie points out, increased competition from other festivals that aren’t as large as Coachella but feature attractive line-ups and lower costs attract music fans. Stagecoach has had no trouble selling out over the last few years as country music goes through a renaissance among Gen Z.

Coachella’s disastrous artist sets have not inspired confidence for those forking out thousands to see artists live. Grimes apologized publicly for her glitch-filled set in 2024, while Nigerian singer Rema arrived 30 minutes late to his set this year. The performance involved lip-syncing, water breaks, abrupt starts and restarts of songs. Fans noted his apparent annoyance at the set, with much speculation about issues backstage affecting his performance.

For a live music festival about promoting artists in the moment, Coachella’s share of disaster sets has left fewer people willing to fork out thousands of dollars to travel to the money sink in the California desert.

Photo Credit: Agustin Flores

After sharing permits and stating the festival would go forward, Fyre Festival 2 organizers have postponed the festival and offered refunds for ticket buyers.

A message sent to ticket holders this afternoon confirmed Fyre Festival 2 will not go forward as planned in Mexico from May 30 to June 2. “The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule,” the message to ticket holders reads.

Representatives for Fyre Festival have not responded to comments or questions about the refund. As late as last week, Billy McFarland shared what he considered evidence of the festival happening on social media. That evidence was permits at nightclubs in Playa del Carmen to play music in a club for 250 people—not a live music bash as was being touted.

Tickets for Fyre Festival 2 started at $1,400 for general admission. Tickets were available for as much as $1.1 million with destination festival package promises including live sessions with MMA stars. Organizers said that package sold out—which was intended for eight people with amenities including a stateroom yacht and private chauffeur service.

The sequel to the disastrous ‘luxury’ Fyre Festival in 2017 appears to be ending with a whimper instead of another event to fuel documentaries on Netflix and Hulu. The original festival was promoted by celebrities on social media and promised gourmet food, luxury villas, and top musical acts. Attendees paid thousands of dollars for tickets, expecting an exclusive, high-end experience.

The lack of delivery bordered on false advertisement, with Billy McFarland arrested and charged with wire fraud and other financial crimes related to the festival. In October 2018, he was sentenced to six years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $26 million. McFarland pleaded guilty to multiple counts of fraud, having defrauded both investors and ticket holders. He was released after less than four years—with an order to pay the original victims restitution. Shortly afterward, he began planning Fyre Festival 2.

Photo Credit: Post Malone’s set at Bonnaroo 2024 by Taylor Regulski

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival announces the complete schedule for this year’s edition, kicking off June 12-15 in Manchester, Tennessee. A timeline peek at this year’s lineup is also included.

Bonnaroo 2025 will boast an assortment of highlights over its four unforgettable nights. Spanning multiple main stage performances on Thursday, June 12 — including a headline set by Luke Combs, Bonnaroo’s first country headliner, three completely unique sets across various stages from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, an array of appearances by John Summit, and Bonnaroo’s world famous SuperJam — and many more spectacular performances.

This year’s headliners include Luke Combs, Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, and Hozier. Other acts will include GloRilla, Vampire Weekend, Treaty Oak Revival, Grace Bowers, ATLiens, Remi Wolf, Tyla, Modest Mouse, Avril Lavigne, RAYE, RL Grime, Saxsquatch, Foster the People, Marcus King, Rebecca Black, and many more.

The upcoming festival will also feature more opportunities to dance the night away than ever before, with a star-studded After Hours lineup featuring Dom Dolla, Glass Animals, Justice, Insane Clown Posse, Megadeth, Arcade Fire Presents “Santa Pirata,” JPEGMAFIA, and an epic sunrise set from Gorgon City. There will also be pop-up parties, surprises, and shenanigans — including the hugely popular Frick Frack Blackjack and the Super Queer Ultra Gay Pride Party, presented by House of Yes with Boyyyish.

This year will also see the debut of the Infinity Stage, a new one-of-a-kind venue, presented in partnership with Polygon Live — boasting spatial sound, synchronized lights, and an unprecedented three-dome, open-air design to create the world’s largest, most immersive, 360 degree spatial audio experience.

One-day and four-day general admission, GA+, VIP, Platinum, and Roo Insider tickets remain available, but most ticket types are trending to sell out in advance of the festival. Layaway Plans starting at 50% down are still available while supplies last. Tickets start at $169 for a single day pass and range up to $26,000 for four-day ‘Roo Insider’ passes.

Bonnaroo 2025 Full Schedule

Photo Credit: Bonnaroo

Photo Credit: Bonnaroo

Photo Credit: Bonnaroo

Photo Credit: Bonnaroo

ASCAP and BMI have officially responded to the Copyright Office’s performing rights inquiry, which was set in motion after lawmakers raised transparency concerns last year.

We covered those concerns – extending to the accuracy of public performance payments, the “increased costs and burdens imposed on licensees,” and more – back in September 2024.

Then, the Copyright Office in February 2025 kicked off the mentioned inquiry and set an April 11th deadline for comments. Unsurprisingly, ASCAP and BMI (besides others yet) provided responses as part of this initial feedback window.

And in the follow-ups – BMI’s comments span 30 pages, compared to 40 for ASCAP’s – the PROs touched on a number of overlapping points. Most notably here, both consent-decree-bound entities made clear their opposition to bolstered public performance regulations in the States.

“In sum,” Broadcast Music, Inc. wrote, “BMI strongly believes the U.S. market for the licensing of the public performance right benefits from free and fair competition.”

“ASCAP firmly believes that legislative action or regulatory action with respect to these issues is unnecessary and would ultimately disserve music creators,” echoed the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. “We believe the free market and open competition benefits music creators and users alike.”

Similarly, the respondents addressed lawmakers’ concerns that small businesses are grappling with heightened licensing costs and burdens due to the growing collection of stateside PROs.

In a stance that’s unlikely to resonate with the congressmembers who requested the inquiry, ASCAP and BMI in more words urged public establishments to “program around” licenses.

“All venue owners have the right to choose whether or not they play any music and can similarly choose the music they play,” ASCAP added. “If a music user wishes to limit or reduce its PRO licensing fees, the music user can do so by programming around the need to take a given PRO’s license.”

“[M]ost other music users—including the vast majority of small businesses—do not need the ability to perform all musical works available in the United States and, therefore, need not secure licenses from all four domestic PROs,” BMI weighed in. “Businesses that perform a limited amount of music can elect, for example, to secure only a BMI license and limit their playlists to musical works in BMI’s repertoire.”

As for the fractional-licensing considerations at hand, ASCAP and BMI emphasized their jointly developed Songview database. The same PROs “are currently exploring the inclusion of GMR and SESAC data” in Songview, per the text.

With all that said, ASCAP and BMI each covered unique angles as well. The latter, for instance, dedicated several pages to pinning some of the possible licensing-confusion blame on “new entrants” Pro Music Rights and AllTrack.

“Based on a review of the publicly available information regarding two new entrants—AllTrack and Pro Music—and their respective repertoires,” the for-profit PRO communicated, “BMI appreciates these concerns and the difficulties faced by music users in determining whether to obtain a license from these entities and at what cost.”

And on the usage- and payments-accuracy side, ASCAP defended its practices and called out concert promoters’ approach to reporting.

“Where logging music usage is not a traditional process by music users or technology is not efficiently available,” ASCAP relayed, “we may see more data omissions and ASCAP will be required to exert more resources to fill those gaps. For example, as is most relevant to this NOI, live concert promoters have generally placed the burden on ASCAP to obtain that information.”

When it comes to monitoring establishments’ music usages with new devices in real time, ASCAP rattled off considerations pertaining to “tracking reliability,” “guardrails to prevent fraud,” “the cost of acquisition and implementation,” and a whole lot else.

Photo Credit: Aftershock

Aftershock has announced a new live concert event with Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel. Shaq is bringing his Bass All-Stars show to the Rawhide Event Center in Chandler, Arizona.

The event kicks off on August 16, with Shaq’s Bass All-Stars delivering an anticipated onslaught of dubstep, house, trap, and hip-hop across the line-up. The line-up so far includes DJ Diesel, Ghastly presents GHENGAR, Jykl & Hyde, RZRKT B2B CELO, and a special guest still to be announced.

A DJ competition will be held for those bass DJs with the fortitude to share the stage with DJ Diesel for an opening slot on the main stage. That competition kicks off on May 9 at Sunbar in Tempe, Arizona. DJs can upload their SoundCloud or MixCloud demo set and find out how to enter here. A portion of proceeds from the competition will benefit Childhelp, a national organization dedicated to eradicating child abuse and neglect.

Tickets for the event went on sale April 11. General Admission 2-pack tickets are available starting at $37.50 per ticket before fees. Single GA tickets are available starting at $59 before fees. VIP tickets are also available starting at $169 a ticket before fees. All details, ticket types, table requests, and extras are available online at the Relentless Beats website. Shaq’s Bass All-Stars is an 18+ event.

Shaq has taken his DJ Diesel persona on the road with the Bass All-Stars brand across the United States. Some of his recent performances include a festival in Dallas at the Panther Island Pavilion in November 2024 featuring NGHTMRE, Eptic, and others.

He also appeared at The Midway in San Francisco in December 2024, with a line-up that featured TroyBoi, LAYZ, and Vastive. Shaq also played the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in October 2024 with a line-up featuring Riot Ten, Habstrakt, and others.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Judas Priest and Alice Cooper are uniting for a co-headlining tour across North America. The 22-city run of the legendary heavy metal acts starts in Mississippi with stops in Toronto, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and more.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on September 16 in Biloxi before wrapping on October 26 in Texas. Coming off the second leg of their Invisible Shield Tour and the release of their 19th studio album, Judas Priest remains a dominant force in metal. Meanwhile, Alice Cooper, the godfather of theatrical rock, wraps up his ‘Too Close for Comfort’ tour this summer, promoting his recent Road album. Corrosion of Conformity will join as a supporting act on select dates.

Alice Cooper is widely recognized as the godfather of shock rock, combining horror theatrics with classic hard rock anthems. Meanwhile, Judas Priest, hailing from Birmingham, England, have been at the forefront of the heavy metal scene for over 50 years.

Tickets for the upcoming tour will be available starting Wednesday, April 16 at 10 am local time through artist pre-sales. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale date beginning April 18th at 10 am on LiveNation.com.

Judas Priest & Alice Cooper — Co-Headlining Tour Dates

September

• 16 | Mississippi Coast Coliseum — Biloxi, MS
• 18 | Ameris Bank Amphitheatre* — Alpharetta, GA
• 20 | PNC Music Pavilion — Charlotte, NC
• 21 | FirstBank Amphitheater — Franklin, TN
• 24 | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater — Virginia Beach, VA
• 26 | PNC Bank Arts Center — Holmdel, NJ
• 27 | Broadview Stage at SPAC — Saratoga Springs, NY
• 29 | Budweiser Stage — Toronto, ON

October

• 01 | The Pavilion at Star Lake — Burgettstown, PA
• 02 | Pine Knob Music Theatre — Clarkston, MI
• 04 | Riverbend Music Center — Cincinnati, OH
• 05 | Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre — Tinley Park, IL
• 10 | Broadmoor World Arena — Colorado Springs, CO
• 12 | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre — Salt Lake City, UT
• 14 | Shoreline Amphitheatre — Mountain View, CA
• 15 | Toyota Amphitheatre — Wheatland, CA
• 18 | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre — Chula Vista, CA
• 19 | Kia Forum — Los Angeles, CA
• 22 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre — Phoenix, AZ
• 23 | Isleta Amphitheater — Albuquerque, NM
• 25 | Germania Insurance Amphitheater — Austin, TX
• 26 | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — Houston, TX

Photo Credit: @ruthsviveros on TikTok

Coachella attendees went viral on social media after they showed off their pricey meals: tacos, nachos, and lemonades for two costing $102.

It may not come as a surprise to some that the prices of concessions at live events can get a little ridiculous. But in the post-pandemic economy, where concerts and music festivals are struggling to break even, Coachella attendees are stunned to see food and drink going for three times the normal cost. Just like the airport, but with better music.

In videos shared on social media, festival goers have been showing off what they ate and how much they paid for their meals or even individual items. One TikTok user, Ruth Viveros, shared a video on April 11 showing two plates of three tacos, an order of loaded nachos, and two lemonades (costing $17 a piece), running her $102 altogether.

“They’re not good, not good at all,” said Viveros of the tacos. “The tortillas are like freezing cold.”

@ruthsviveros Taco stand & lemonade! #coachella #festivalseason #coachellafood ♬ original sound – Ruth Viveros

Her post, and others like it, have led to a slew of commenters quick to criticize festival organizers for the price of concessions—especially considering the limited options available for attendees out in the California desert.

“These prices are diabolical,” wrote one commenter. “Coachella seems like a miserable money trap that everyone falls for,” commented another. Another video, posted by TikTok user @FrugalJimmy, showed off a slice of pepperoni pizza that cost $13, which he jokingly stated was “not too bad.”

“I honestly thought it would be a lot more for a big slice of pizza,” he noted. “So good.”

@frugaljimmyCoachella Day 1 Part 5 – The price for food wasn’t as bad as I thought😅

♬ original sound – FrugalJimmy

Meanwhile, those preparing for Coachella’s second weekend have taken to Reddit to ask those who camped out during Weekend 1 just how expensive the food has been.

“Expensive,” replied one Redditor. “Most items start at $15-20. ‘Meals’ are like $20-30.” Another added that a Nate’s Nashville hot chicken slider with fries cost $30.

However, despite the rampant posts and comments about prices, many attendees have defended Coachella, saying the experience was worth the spendy snacks.

“Does anyone have a genuinely good time at Coachella? All I see are horrendous prices and bad organization,” wrote one commenter on Ruth’s video. “Yes!” she responded. “Coachella is actually very fun and inspiring and like everything else, there’s some rough things.”

This year’s festival featured headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, and Travis Scott, with performances from Megan Thee Stallion, Weezer, Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, The Original Misfits, and many more.

Photo Credit: Stevie Nicks / Live Nation

Stevie Nicks announces a leg of tour dates this summer and fall, stopping in cities across North America, including Las Vegas, Toronto, and Boston.

Legendary singer, songwriter, and storyteller Stevie Nicks has announced a new leg of tour dates for summer and fall 2025, following a celebrated run of performances. General on-sale begins Friday, April 18 at 10 AM local. Tickets for previously announced dates with Billy Joel are on sale now.

Produced by Live Nation, the newly added shows will see the iconic artist travel across North America, with stops in Boston, Toronto, Tampa, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and more. As ever, Stevie Nicks will enchant audiences with her unmistakable voice, poetic lyrics, and unforgettable live performances.

Stevie Nicks 2025 Tour Dates

August

• 08 | East Rutherford, NJ — MetLife Stadium (with Billy Joel)
• 12 | Boston, MA — TD Garden
• 15 | Toronto, ON — Scotiabank Arena
• 19 | Saint Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center
• 23 | Cincinnati, OH — Heritage Bank Center
• 27 | Columbia, SC — Colonial Life Arena
• 30 | Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena

October

• 04 | Santa Clara, CA — Levi’s Stadium (with Billy Joel)
• 07 | Phoenix, AZ — PHX Arena
• 11 | Las Vegas, NV — T-Mobile Arena
• 15 | Oklahoma City, OK — Paycom Center
• 18 | New Orleans, LA — Caesars Superdome (with Billy Joel)

November

• 15 | Detroit, MI — Ford Field (with Billy Joel)

As a multi-platinum solo artist and member of Fleetwood Mac since 1974, Stevie Nicks is the first woman to have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. She has collectively sold over 220 million albums.

With Fleetwood Mac, she was instrumental in the success of the band’s beloved album Rumours, one of the best-selling albums of all time. The record has connected with generations of fans worldwide for over 50 years.

In October 2020, Stevie’s 24 Karat Gold: The Concert was released at select cinemas, drive-ins, and exhibition spaces around the world for two nights only. The sold-out film offered audiences a virtual front-row seat to the magic Nicks brought on her sold-out 24-Karat Gold Tour.

Senators from both sides of the aisle are reportedly urging the DOJ to zero in on the recently announced deal between Live Nation and Fanatics. Photo Credit: Bernini123

Besides fending off a Justice Department lawsuit — and regulatory obstacles across the pond — Live Nation is now grappling with a new round of bipartisan antitrust scrutiny.

That scrutiny pertains to the sports side of the Ticketmaster parent’s operations, but is certainly important from the perspective of Live Nation’s broader antitrust woes as well.

According to Sportico, the fresh pushback arrived in the form of a letter penned by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee. Though on opposite sides of the aisle, the senators have long been critical of Live Nation; this isn’t even the first time the lawmakers jointly called out the promoter.

For a bit of quick background, Ticketmaster and the self-described “global digital sports platform” Fanatics unveiled a ticketing tie-up early last month. The companies have been partnered for a while, but the March agreement brought the official rollout of a standalone “Fanatics Ticket Marketplace.”

(In detailing the “two-way” tie-up, Sportico outlined a means of selling Ticketmaster passes via the Fanatics app, with the merch business then listing its own products on Ticketmaster.)

As reportedly described by the senators (who wrote to assistant AG Abigail Slater, the DOJ’s antitrust division head), however, the bolstered Live Nation-Fanatics union is the latest example of “‘anticompetitive behavior’” from the former entity.

Fanatics higher-ups, instead of opting to “‘innovate, disrupt and compete themselves as they have in numerous other sports-related markets,’” united “‘with an online ticketing monopolist,’” the senators reportedly said.

Driving home their point, the lawmakers asked the DOJ to identify and pursue remedies for possible antitrust-law violations. Here, those potential violations refer to the alleged use of Live Nation’s “‘monopoly power to prevent Fanatics from entering the online ticketing market, depriving consumers of the benefits of competition,’” per the mentioned report.

Unsurprisingly, a Ticketmaster representative refuted the letter’s claims in a statement shared with DMN.

“The agreement simply provides that Ticketmaster can sell secondary tickets to sporting events on Fanatics websites and mobile apps, giving fans additional ticket-buying opportunities,” this rep told us. “The secondary ticketing market is extremely competitive. Ticketmaster competes with StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats and numerous others and is in no way the leading secondary ticket seller, as the Senators’ letter suggests.”

Especially because the U.S. government’s initially mentioned Live Nation/Ticketmaster antitrust case remains active, it’ll be interesting to see whether the DOJ feels the same way. In any event, the bipartisan criticism appears to underscore the legislative mood when it comes to competition concerns.

Said mood could set the stage for the passage of not just the reintroduced TICKET Act (which Live Nation actually supports), but different ticketing-competition and -resale legislation yet.

Photo Credit: Mengwen Cao for Global Citizen

The Global Citizen Festival will return to Central Park on September 27, this time with a search for a new hitmaker with Colossal and Live Nation.

The Global Citizen Festival, driving millions of actions from global citizens and billions of dollars in commitments to end extreme poverty, is back for another year. The 2025 edition of the Global Citizen Festival campaign once again supports and partners with a variety of nonprofit organizations aligned in mission and cause, serving communities across New York.

This year, for the first time, Global Citizen is partnering with Colossal to find America’s Next Top Hitmaker. Musicians, bands, and groups from across the US will compete in the months leading up to this year’s festival for the chance to perform on the Global Citizen Festival stage on September 27.

The free, ticketed event, hosted in New York City with Production Partner Live Nation and produced by Diversified Production Services (DPS), will bring together the world’s biggest artists, grassroots advocates, government leaders, philanthropists, and music fans. Together, they will call on world leaders to drive action on the most urgent issues facing humanity and our planet, including protecting the Amazon rainforest, ensuring children everywhere have access to education, and upscaling renewables across Africa.

“As our world faces rising temperatures, growing inequality, and deepening uncertainty, this year’s Global Citizen Festival is an opportunity to push for real, lasting change,” said Katie Hill, Chief Music and Entertainment Officer, Global Citizen. “We’re excited to unite 60,000 global citizens on the Great Lawn of Central Park, together with some of the world’s biggest artists and advocates, to demand action. See you on September 27!”

This year’s full festival lineup will be announced in the coming months. Tickets will be free and can be earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app or their website.

Over the past decade, $41 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms has been deployed, impacting over 1.15 billion lives. Established in Australia in 2008, Global Citizen’s team operates from New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Toronto, Johannesburg, Lagos, and beyond.

Photo Credit: People Magazine / Instagram

Green Day’s headlining set brought the heat to Coachella with a firework that hit a palm tree, causing it to catch fire dangerously close to the crowd.

During Green Day’s set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s first weekend on Saturday, a firework lit a palm tree on fire in the nearby artist section. The fire was dangerously close to a crowd of onlookers.

“This firework just flew into the crowd and exploded right next to FaZe Banks and all of his friends, causing trees and more to catch on fire at Coachella,” wrote Ryan (@scubaryan_) on X/Twitter.

Gaming clan FaZe founder Banks also posted a video on the social media platform, showing his friend sitting in a chair and being checked out by paramedics. “Zack was literally on the tree that exploded. The most nuts shit.”

Green Day’s performance marked their debut at the annual festival, especially as a headlining act. In 2014, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong performed as a guest with The Replacements. This past weekend, he also joined the Go-Gos to perform their 1984 classic, “Head Over Heels.”

The band’s set featured a slew of their career-defining hits, as well as songs from their latest studio album, Saviors. Last summer saw Green Day honoring the 20th anniversary of their quintessential album, American Idiot, by announcing a deluxe edition featuring live performances and unearthed demos. The re-release included a 110-minute documentary, 20 Years of American Idiot, which included interviews with members of the band and archival footage.

American Idiot was a massive success for Green Day and marked a significant comeback for the band, propelling them into the mainstream. The album featured several hits, including “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and its titular track. It also earned the band its first seven Grammy nominations.

Coachella’s first weekend is now over, but next weekend kicks off the second half of the festival from April 18 to 20. Other headliners include Lady Gaga, Post Malone, and Travis Scott, with notable performances from Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Weezer, Tyla, T-Pain, Jimmy Eat World, Ed Sheeran, and Blackpink’s Lisa and Jennie.

Photo Credit: Robot Picnic / YouTube

The LA Philharmonic embarked on unfamiliar territory with a guest-filled Coachella set led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic delivered an unforgettable 50-minute set at Coachella on Saturday, featuring stars like Becky G, LL Cool J, Maren Morris, Zedd, and Laufey. The stars performed some of their biggest hits, accompanied by the iconic symphony.

The outdoor stage in Indio is a far cry from what the orchestra is accustomed to at their usual home in downtown LA’s Disney Hall. But according to Dudamel, the performance was a long time coming. “It will be beautiful,” Dudamel said the week before the show.

The performance was a culmination of an idea that dates back to the early days of the conductor’s 17-year tenure with the orchestra. Notably, that tenure ends for Dudamel when he moves to New York for a leading role with the NY Philharmonic next year. But that just makes the Coachella show all a more glorious send-off.

“This was a dream that I had for many years,” said Dudamel of the Coachella performance, admitting that despite his long-running dream, it was only within the last year and a half to two years that the LA Phil held serious discussions with Coachella producers to make it a reality.

“We have the opportunity to do many wonderful things here at the Hollywood Bowl [where rehearsals took place], this wonderful venue where we have the chance to interact with wonderful pop artists on different music styles that we have the chance to do,” Dudamel explained. “But in the context of a festival that represents a culture itself, it was always a dream. We were talking a lot about how to do it and when, and I think it’s perfect timing. We have built something very beautiful together with the team.”

The LA Phil’s performance during Coachella Weekend 2 will feature different guest stars—the identity of which will not be revealed ahead of time, to keep it a surprise, as was the case with Weekend 1. Saturday’s show featured contemporary hits interspersed with classical music, including LL Cool J’s medley with the climactic “Rock the Bells.” The mash-up marked a first in the symphony’s long and glorious history.

“LL Cool J has been invited for as many years as Coachella’s been around, and he’s never been to Coachella, as a guest or anything,” noted Joanna Rees, Vice President of Programming at the LA Phil.

“And so it was Gustavo and the Philharmonic and this opportunity that is bringing him out to the desert. The way he did with orchestral collaboration came out of this amazing [Zoom meeting] we were on with Todd —LL Cool J —and Gustavo talking this idea through, and watching the two of them go through what was in their minds, you could just see it happening live. They were both getting each other super excited about the ideas and the possibilities—and now it’s happened.”

“He actually has basically sampled, in his medley, Beethoven’s Fifth and Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird,’” said Megan Umber, LA Phil Chief Programming Officer. “And I’ve never seen anybody do it, actually, for all the years that we’ve done pop collaborations—properly fitting the orchestral music (of great composers) into his songs.”

In addition to its Coachella sets this weekend and last, the LA Phil is keeping its regular spring schedule at Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA, where they’re currently presenting Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”

The Coachella crowd got a nice taste of that, with Dudamel leading an excerpt from the work as rearranged by Max Richter. This was interspersed with traditional pieces from the classical songbook, such as the Strauss cue best known by modern audiences from its placement at the beginning of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Photo Credit: Creators Corp.

Coachella has teamed up with UGC game studio Creators Corp. for a new Fortnite Creative game called Coachella Pillars. The multiplayer showdown launched today and transports players to the Coachella Canvas in a music-fueled competition.

Suspended above the festival grounds, 2-12 players will stand atop Pillars of Sounds, attempting to knock each other off within spaces inspired by the festival’s environment—all set to a backdrop of the festival’s music. The map features over 30 customized tools inspired by musical instruments, allowing players to harness the power of sound and rhythm to win.

Players will compete in a rotating selection of three unique arenas inspired by the festival stages, surrounding environment, and art, before the last player standing ascends to the Coachella Main Stage for an exclusive celebration. The music-infused twist combines the core mechanics of Fortnite’s Pillars mode with Coachella’s vibrant sound and festival visuals—bringing the concert experience to more than 220 million monthly active users.

With Coachella Pillars, the festival continues to expand creative boundaries into gaming, transforming how fans around the world can immerse themselves in the festival. By blending competitive gameplay with Coachella’s artistry, the experience become about more than just watching the festival—but becoming part of it.

Players can access Coachella Pillars in Fortnite Creative starting today. Use the island code 9331-9321-5753 to check it out. Goldenvoice has a long history of partnering with Fortnite to promote the festival.

The initial collaboration in 2022 introduced Coachella-themed content as micro-transactions. In 2023, Coachella Island launched featuring a dedicated area with mini-games and art installations like the Coachella Ferris Wheel. 2024 saw integration with Fortnite Festival, bringing Coachella to the Jam Stage and Festival Main Stage. Tracks from artists including Blur, Bleachers, and Doja cat were featured last year. New Jam Tracks and emotes this year include music from The Marias, Jennie, Yeat, Amyl, the Sniffers, Djo, and more.

Photo Credit: Weezer by Hunter Kahn / CC by 4.0

Weezer is still playing Coachella this weekend despite bassist Scott Shriner’s wife Jillian pointing a gun at and getting shot by police this week.

Police shot Weezer bassist Scott Shriner’s wife Jillian on Tuesday while in pursuit of three suspects who fled on foot during a hit and run. The suspects made their way to Shriner’s neighborhood, where 51-year-old Jillian Shriner confronted police outside her neighbor’s house, armed with a handgun.

Authorities say they asked her multiple times to put down the gun, but she allegedly refused and pointed the gun at officers, who then opened fire, hitting her in the shoulder. She was taken into custody a short time later and was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. She was also booked absentee for attempted murder, and posted $1 million bond.

No one else was injured during the incident, according to authorities. One of the hit-and-run suspects has also been arrested by Highway Patrol officers.

The wild story comes just days ahead of Weezer’s planned performance at Coachella this weekend, which Scott Shriner and other sources have confirmed is still happening. Despite his wife’s seemingly random gun battle with police and her subsequent hospital stay, Shriner used the opportunity to promote his band’s upcoming Coachella show.

“She’s alright, thank you for asking,” said Shriner in a statement to the New York Post, while out walking his dogs on Thursday. “See you at Coachella!” he added.

Weezer was added to the Coachella lineup over the weekend as a surprise replacement, alongside Ed Sheeran, for acts including FKA twigs and Anitta. Naturally, the incident with Jillian left fans wondering whether the band’s set was still a go. They will be playing the Mojave tent on Saturday afternoon. This year’s Coachella features headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone, with a special set from Travis Scott.

Photo Credit: Lady Gaga by Justin Higuchi / CC by 2.0

Coachella 2025 is right around the corner, and there’s still time to plan a trip. Here’s how to score last-minute tickets, parking, lodging, and more.

Coachella’s Weekend 1 kicks off on Friday, and this year’s edition of the much-beloved festival features headliners Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, and Post Malone. Other performers include The Misfits, Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Japanese Breakfast, and many more set to play in the California desert.

While passes for the first weekend are sold out on the official site, there are still ways to get your hands on Coachella passes before this weekend. In some cases, fans are securing tickets at below face value.

Where and When is Coachella?

Coachella 2025 takes place across two weekends. Weekend 1 runs Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13. Weekend 2 runs from Friday, April 18, to Sunday, April 20. Both take place at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California.

How Do I Get Tickets to Coachella?

The best way to secure tickets for Coachella’s first weekend is through the secondary market. StubHub still has three-day passes available, as well as single-day passes for those who have a tighter schedule to work around.

This week, Vivid Seats and StubHub have had three-day general admission passes going for around $700. Single-day passes for Weekend 1 are going for between $700 and $900, while one-day passes can go for even more. For this reason, it can actually be more cost effective to grab a three-day pass — even if you’re planning on leaving early.

For those looking to save more cash, Weekend 2 passes on StubHub are going for less than face value, in some cases. Three-day passes for Weekend 2 are going for around $550, with single-day passes at around $700. VIP passes are still available for both weekends, starting at around $1,100.

While Weekend 1 is often packed with more special guests than the second weekend, there aren’t too many differences between the two. But every day of Coachella is unpredictable, no matter the weekend.

What About Lodging or Camping?

StubHub also has plenty of camping passes available, for those who can’t (or don’t want to) snag a hotel close to the festival grounds. For those who do have a hotel booked, there are lots of shuttle passes available to make getting in and out of the festival grounds a breeze.

What About Parking at Coachella?

General parking at Coachella is free, and parking lots open at 11 AM daily, with gates opening around 1 PM. Those departing Indio on Monday after the festival would be wise to leave in the morning — or after 5 PM — to avoid the crazy post-Coachella traffic.

Where’s the Coachella Livestream? — Enjoy Couchella

If you’re not headed to Indio and want to enjoy the Coachella experience from the comfort of your own home (Couchella, anyone?), YouTube is the official livestream partner for the festival. Both weekends will be streamed on YouTube, and there’s typically a feed for each stage so you can switch between them.

Which artists will be streamed at each stage across both weekends will be announced before the festival kicks off this weekend.

Photo Credit: Jim Herrington

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville is prepping a new exhibit titled ‘Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker.’ The exhibit will open to the public on May 20 and will be available through September.

The new exhibition is intended to celebrate Dolly Parton’s career, highlighting her journey as a singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Some of the highlights from the exhibit include personal artifacts such as costumes Dolly wore, musical instruments she played, and handwritten lyrics, photographs, and exclusive interview footage from the many phases of her longstanding career.

Visitors will be able to see handwritten lyrics to her iconic song “Jolene,” a portable cassette tape recorder used to compose songs like “I Will Always Love You,” and “Jolene,” and her iconic cowgirl outfit from the 1980 film ‘9 to 5.’ The exhibit also displays Parton’s Kennedy Center Honors medallion from 2006 and several other notable awards bestowed upon the legendary country singer.

‘Journey of a Seeker’ focuses on turning points in Dolly Parton’s career, where she overcame obstacles and defied expectations. It explores her rise from humble beginnings in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to becoming one of the leading female figures in country music. An official exhibit playlist will be available on major streaming platforms starting May 20—the first day of the exhibit’s availability.

Visitors who purchase a timed entry ticket to the museum must reserve a separate ticket for access to the exhibit, which is offered at no additional cost. A limited number of tickets to the exhibit and museum are available each day between 9 am and 3:30 pm CST, so visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.

In addition to this new exhibit, the museum also features other Dolly Parton items on display. The ‘Sing Me Back Home’ exhibition showcases foundational artifacts that span the 100-year narrative of country music history. A dress Dolly wore on ‘The Porter Wagoner Show’ in 1970 is currently on display there, as is her Country Music Hall of Fame member plaque.

The reintroduced TICKET Act is riding a fresh wave of congressional support. Photo Credit: Claudio Schwarz

Riding a new wave of bipartisan support, the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act (TICKET Act) is one step closer to becoming law.

Lawmakers made this latest round of approval official during a House Energy and Commerce committee markup today. Nearly all the involved representatives voted in favor of the reintroduced TICKET Act, which is also picking up steam in the Senate.

(As part of the same four-hour hearing, the House committee considered 25 other bills, among them the American Music Tourism Act.)

And for those who’ve followed the legislation’s years-running journey, that probably won’t come as a surprise. Before being booted from a spending bill late last year, the TICKET Act passed overwhelmingly in the House.

“We have worked a long time on this legislation – it’s been a couple of years,” Representative Jan Schakowsky summed up during today’s hearing. “And we should not have any problems with this right now. Because we know that this legislation has passed the House of Representatives pretty much unanimously. And we have had sponsors across the aisle at all times.”

Most notably, the TICKET Act would mandate all-in pricing, thereby compelling ticket marketplaces to display fee-inclusive costs at the outset.

Outside the halls of Congress, several players have endorsed this key provision (and the bill itself). Chief among the all-in advocates is Ticketmaster parent Live Nation; some evidence suggests that the market-leading promoter will benefit from the measure.

In any event, the concise TICKET Act would further ban speculative ticket listings, referring to those advertising passes that the sellers don’t actually possess. But possible workarounds seem straightforward enough here.

Provided the appropriate listings are labeled accordingly, ticket marketplaces could still allow the sale of services to obtain as-yet-unsecured passes, the TICKET Act text shows. Stated differently, it doesn’t appear that the legislation will outlaw speculative tickets altogether.

Another section of the bill describes bolstered ticket-refund requirements for postponed or canceled happenings, and the TICKET Act calls for an FTC report on the little-enforced BOTS Act.

(President Trump’s March 31st executive order instructs the FTC to “rigorously enforce” the BOTS Act. Separately, the MAIN Event Ticketing Act was reintroduced towards 2025’s beginning and, in short, would heighten the BOTS Act’s enforcement power.)

In a statement shared with DMN, the National Consumers League applauded the TICKET Act as “the solution that millions of fans have been seeking.”

“This bill is the solution that millions of fans have been seeking to finally get rid of hidden junk fees, crack down on predatory ticket resale practices, and guarantee refunds in the event of event postponements and cancellations,” VP of public policy, telecommunications, and fraud John Breyault said in part.

Photo Credit: National Police of the Dominican Republic

At least 44 people have died while over 100 were being treated for injuries after a roof collapsed at a Dominican Republic nightclub.

Rescue crews have been searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo after a roof collapsed, killing at least 44 people. More than 100 others have been treated for injuries. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof collapse.

“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” said Juan Manuel Méndez, Director of the Center of Emergency Operations in the Dominican Republic capitol. He added that teams were still working to determine the total number of people present at the scene at the time of the incident.

President Luis Abinader wrote on social media that all rescue agencies are “working tirelessly” to help those affected. “We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote.

Among the victims was Nelsy Cruz, governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of Major League Baseball star Nelson Cruz. She called President Abinader at 12:49 AM on Tuesday, saying she was trapped and the roof had collapsed. Cruz later died at the hospital.

“This is too great a tragedy,” said First Lady Raquel Abraje, who first reported Cruz’s call to the president.

Injured individuals include former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and legislator Bray Vargas. Merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing when the roof collapsed, and his daughter said he was believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Pérez’s manager, Enrique Paulino, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly after midnight. The roof collapsed almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist. “It was sudden. I thought it was an earthquake, so I threw myself to the ground and covered my head,” he said. “We tried to get to the area where Rubby was, but there was too much debris there.”

Manuel Olivo Ortiz, whose son attended the concert but did not return home, was among those anxiously awaiting outside the club for news. “We’re holding on only to God,” he said.

Massiel Cuevas, godmother of 22-year-old Darlenys Batista, was also awaiting word outside the club. “I’m waiting for her. She’s in there, I know she’s in there,” said Cuevas, who believes Batista will be pulled out alive.

News of this night club roof collapse follows two deaths at a Mexico City festival due to a crane collapsing in high winds.