concert
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Coldplay paid tribute to Elton John during the final stop of the legendary singer’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in Sweden.
As John’s five-decade live career came to a close at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on Saturday (July 8), Chris Martin and Co. — who were simultaneously performing in Gothenburg, Sweden — appeared onscreen through a live video broadcast at John’s show to honor the musical icon.
After performing a moving cover of “Rocket Man” alongside his band, Martin gave a heartwarming speech about John’s remarkable career.
“Elton, from all of us here, from all the bands and all the artists that you’ve loved and inspired and helped, we just love you so much,” Martin said. “We are so grateful for everything you’ve done for us, everything you’ve done for the AIDS Foundation. Every time you’ve been kind to anybody.”
He continued, “For everything you’ve done for LGBTQ. Everything you’ve done for fashion and eyewear. Everything you’ve done for sexiness, and love and dressing gowns. Everything you’ve done for music, everything Bernie has done for lyrics, everything your band has done over the thousands of shows you’ve done. We love you so much, happy retirement, and we’re going to miss you so much.”
John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour launched in September 2018 in North America and went on to play 330 concerts around the globe. In January, it became the highest grossing tour in Billboard Boxscore history, passing Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour. As of dates reported to Boxscore through June 18, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour had now grossed $910.4 million, making it the first tour to ever break the $900 million barrier. Last month, John received an award from Billboard for having the top-grossing tour of all time.
Prior to launching into “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” the final song of Saturday’s show in Sweden, John took a moment to look back on his spectacular body of work.
“I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief,” he told the audience. “Fifty-two years of pure joy playing music. How lucky am I to play music? But you know, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn’t for you. You bought the singles, the CDs, the albums, the cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows. You know how much I love to play live. It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys. You’ve been absolutely magnificent.”
John continued, “I will never be touring again, but I may do something in the future — a one-off thing — but that’s miles away. I want to appreciate my family, my sons, my husband, everything. I’ve earned, it. And I don’t regret it tonight. I want to thank the band, the crew, everybody. I will miss you guys so much, but I’ll see you much sooner than you think. I love you guys!”
Watch John’s performance of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” at his final concert here.
Harry Styles brought a little ray of sunshine to a trio of Ukrainian refugees who fled their embattled country last year just months after the launch of Russia’s unprovoked war on its neighbor. The singer teamed with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to invited the women to his Love on Tour show in Warsaw, Poland’s PGE Narodowy Stadium on Sunday.
According to a post from the humanitarian aid organization, 13-year-old Daria, her mother Maryna and their friend Daria Kathina fled their hometown of Mykolayiv, Ukraine in July 2022 — more than four months after Russia’s Vladimir Putin launched the war — and have rebuilt their lives in Sosnowiec, Poland.
“I’m so grateful to Harry Styles and to the IRC, which has supported me to pursue my dream career in Poland, for giving us the chance to forget our worries for a night and sing and dance at the concert,” said Maryna in a statement on IRC’s Instagram page. The IRC thanked Styles for donating the tickets and for his continued support of the organization.
In addition, Maryna told the IRC, “Since being forced to leave our home in Ukraine last year, it’s been a challenge adjusting to life in a new country – especially for my daughter, Daria, and my 10-year-old son. I’m so grateful to Harry Styles and the IRC, which has supported me to pursue my dream career in Poland, for giving us the chance to forget our worries for a night, and sing and dance at the concert.”
In an accompanying video the three women are seen attending the show loaded down with bulging Styles swag bags and enjoying the gig from their primo seats.
The IRC also noted that Maryna has been participating in the IRC’s Step to Work project for Ukrainian refugees in Poland and is pursuing her dream of being a tram driver. The three women are among the nearly 6 million Ukrainians who’ve been forced to flee their homes, including more than 94,000 who’ve landed in Poland.
The next stop on Styles’ tour is in Vienna, Austria on Saturday (July 8), with the European leg of the trek slated to wind down on July 22 in Reggio Emilia, Italy at the RCF Arena.
Check out the IRC’s post below.
Coldplay have invited a wide variety of special guests to join them on stage over the past year during their massive Music of the Sphere global tour. From Lupe Fiasco to Craig David, Chvches’ Lauren Mayberry and Bruce Springsteen to special segment during the show that takes place on a small satellite stage in the […]
Fans at Louis Tomlinson‘s show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday (June 21) were sent scrambling for cover when a freak hail storm struck during the former One Director singer’s solo show. According to Denver’s 9 News, seven people were transported to a local hospital for injuries and dozens more were treated at the scene […]
Less than 24 hours after Bebe Rexha was hit in the face by a fan’s tossed cell phone during a show, fellow pop star Ava Max was slapped by a man attending her show in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (June 20). In a fan video of the incident an unnamed man is seen appearing […]
When Erykah Badu announced her latest tour, Unfollow Me, the singer-songwriter shared what fans could expect. “You can expect us to become one living breathing organism. You’ll receive my sincerest, purest love. I love what I do and I love doing it for you.”
The Grammy-winning artist made good on that promise during her Los Angeles stopover at Crypto.com Arena Saturday evening (June 17).
Already hyped by a fun and memory-evoking opening set by yasiin bey, Badu kept fans on pins and needles as her drummer and percussionist fired up the crowd even further with energetic solo turns. Then, some 10 minutes later, the lady of the hour took the stage to loud cheers and shoutouts amid laser lights and lightning flashes across a giant video screen. But it was worth the wait.
Opening her show with the fitting, self-empowering “20 Feet Tall,” Badu — wearing a feathered floor-length coat and tall head wrap that she later doffed for a slinky black dress with front-facing slits underneath — took command of the stage for the next hour and 45 minutes. From there the evening became a giant sing-along with an ethereal and playful Badu leading her faithful choir, beginning with the classic “On & On” peppered with humorous adlibs like “People in the back … what the F you looking at?”
After segueing into “…& On,” the Grammy winner dished up a host of flavorful tracks from her deep-rooted catalog, including “Appletree,” “No Love,” “Me,” “Time’s a Wastin,” “Kiss Me on My Neck,” “A.D. 2000,” “Didn’t Cha Know” and closer “Window Seat.” In the latter song, Badu smoothly sidled into a snippet of “Whipped Cream” by Ari Lennox, of whom she noted, “I love you, Ari.” Also eliciting massive sing-alongs that resonated throughout the arena: “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop),” “Otherside of the Game,” “Next Lifetime” and a very moving “Orange Moon.”
To an audience that ranged from ’60s- to 2000s -era fans, Badu declared of her game-changing 1997 debut album, Baduizm, “I wrote that for you ’90s babies,” as she recalled being pregnant with her first child while writing and recording the project. “So I’ve been waiting for you ’90s babies to grow up,” she said with a laugh.
The evening’s master class in neo-soul and hip-hop — in honor of the latter’s 50th anniversary this year — got off to a grand start with rap icon yasiin bey. The Brooklyn-born artist took the stage to heartwarming applause and shoutouts before delivering a strong 45-minute set. At times self-deprecating (at one point the rapper/singer-songwriter/actor referred to himself simply as “local talent” to audience laughter); at other moments twirling around onstage to his tracks with free abandon, bey referenced milestones in his long-running career as well with songs like “Auditorium,” “Casa Bey,” “Mathematics,” “Ms. Fat Booty” and “UMI Says.”
Adding an exclamation point to bey’s show was the surprise appearance of his former Black Star colleague and fellow Brooklynite Talib Kweli. The two hip-hop icons dove into a rollicking take on their 1998 gem “Respiration.”
Badu’s 25-city Unfollow Me tour with yasiin bey, produced by Outback Presents, launched in San Antonio on June 11 before making its fifth stop in Los Angeles. Upcoming shows include Sacramento (June 20), Seattle (June 23), Denver (June 26), Chicago (July 1), New York (July 8) and Atlanta (July 15) before wrapping in Badu’s hometown of Dallas (July 23).
Romeo Santos is wrapping up his four-date U.S. stadium stint that lunched on June 3 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. On Friday (June 16), the Latin star’s Formula Vol. 3 Tour paid a visit to Miami.
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A two-hour DJ set by Deejay Mad pumped up the LoanDepot Park (formerly known as Marlins Park) as devoted Romeistas filled up the venue at capacity. At 10:48 p.m., the lights dimmed and a video appeared across the large screens, displaying a phone call between Romeo and his son.
“Daddy has to work,” he said.
Then, wearing a black-and-white blazer, brown shades, and black pants, Santos arrived on stage to perform the opening track “El Pañuelo,” his collaboration with Rosalía. He then sang some of his earlier solo tunes, such as “La Diabla,” “Eres Mia,” “Cancioncitas de Amor” and “Odio.”
“I didn’t come here to talk. Where are all the Latinos this night?” he asked his nearly 40,000 fans.
The Dominican crooner then continued with songs such as “Inmortal,” “Promise,” “Bebo,” “Imitadora,” “Necio” and “Llévame Contigo,” to name a few, before assuring everyone that the “Romeistas are the best fans in the world.”
At 11:30 p.m., Santos left the stage and returned with a new fit — black leather pants and an open, cheetah-print shirt that flaunted his toned, bronzed chest. During this concert block, he delivered some of his popular urban-bachata collaborations such as “Volvi” (Bad Bunny), “X Si Volvemos” (Karol G), “El Farsante” (Ozuna) and “Noche de Sexo” (Wisin y Yandel).
To close off the reggaeton-heavy set, Santos brought out Anuel AA to perform their infectious feature “Ella Quiere Beber,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart in 2019.
The Puerto Rican trap artist also performed his songs “Sola” and “Mas Rica Que Ayer,” all while Santos jammed on stage with a drink in hand.
“Romeo, you’re my biggest idol and inspiration,” Anuel said to him before giving him a hug and rushing off stage.
At 12:15 a.m., Santos was still intact, and in fact, asked the audience: “Are you sleepy? Now is when the concert is beginning. Where are my Romeistas of more than a decade? The Aventureras?”
This time, sitting on a tall, silver throne, Santos began taking song petitions from the fans to sing in a capella. Some of the timeless Aventura hits he passionately belted were “Angelito,” “Enseñame a Olvidar” and “Hermanita.”
He then dropped a wave of bangers that further prove why he’s the King of Bachata, such as “El Malo,” “Todavia Me Amas,” “Los Infieles,” “Corazoncito,” “La Boda,” “Un Beso” and “Obsesión” — the song that put Aventura on the map in 2002 — before changing to a red leather outfit and closing the night at 1:00 a.m. with “Huellas” and “Propuesta Indecente.”
The Formula Vol. 3 stadium trek wraps on June 24 in Houston and will resume with more than 20 U.S. dates and cities in October and November. For more information, visit here.
As previously reported, Harry Styles came out on top on Billboard Boxscore’s 2023 midyear Top Tours chart. But it wasn’t an easy win. Across the six-month tracking period, the No. 1 spot flipped six times, coming down to a margin of less than $500,000, or 0.3%. Take a look below at how the midyear 2023 Top Tours ranking took shape, from Nov. 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023.
For the first day of November, Elton John led via his Nov. 1 show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, earning $7.8 million, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. But, temporarily, he gave way to Coldplay, in the middle of a 10-show run at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Unico Ciudad de La Plata.
It took two Argentinian shows for Coldplay to take over. But before that epic run could end, Sir Elton was back on top, continuing his mammoth stadium run in North America, including three sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium on Nov. 17 and 19-20.
John held the top spot into December, until being displaced by 2022’s overall champ, Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar wrapped World’s Hottest Tour, reaching a high of $67.9 million since the beginning of the ’23 tracking period. But just like that, Daddy Yankee, another Puerto Rican icon promoted by Cardenas Marketing Network, took over for the end of the calendar year, with $72.5 million.
Elton was back in January, playing shows in Oceania that not only gave him a third stint at No. 1, but cemented the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour as the highest-grossing tour of all time.
But then came Harry. After many months, midyears and year-end rankings in the top five, Mr. Styles claimed the pole position, juiced up by shows in Australia and Asia in February and March. Ultimately, he earned $138.6 million between November and April.
And despite Elton’s last-minute run at the O2 Arena (and one show on April 27 at Munich’s Olympiahalle), Styles stayed strong. John inched towards the top but ultimately fell short by less than half of a percentage point.
While those men traded off on top, Ed Sheeran, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dua Lipa, Kevin Hart, Luke Combs, SZA and many more came in as some of the top touring acts of the midyear tracking period. Check back later this year for a year-end update with some of the summer’s biggest stadium runs.
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