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Jelly Roll “righted a wrong” to a fellow performer and offered up a brand new song during a concert Wednesday night (April 24) on the eve of the NFL Draft in Detroit.
Fresh off his three CMT Music Awards earlier in the month, Jelly veered from the night’s planned setlist at the Fillmore Detroit to add “Kill a Man,” a track from his chart-topping 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel. He explained to the crowd that the night’s opening act — Canadian singer-songwriter Madeline Merlot — had sung backup on the recording but wasn’t credited because, “I didn’t know if she’d want to be associated with my white trash ass.” The two are on the same label (BBR Music Group), and Jelly Roll pronounced himself “such a fan of hers and her voice. I love everything about you, Miss Madeline Merlo.”
He then invited her on stage to perform the song with him, letting her take lead on the second verse.
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Merlo, who’s been releasing music since 2014, was a second season contestant on NBC’s writing competition show Songland. Her most recent EP, Slide, came out during 2022, while a new single, “Time + Faith,” was released last September and reached No. 6 on Billboard Canada’s Country Songs chart.
Jelly Roll also used the special small-venue show — dubbed The Night Before, but not an official NFL Draft event — to preview a brand new song, “Liar,” a muscular rock track that he said was destined for his next album. He and his eight-piece band muffed the opening — “We’ve never done this before, so… we’re figuring it out,” he noted — but started over and made their way through on the second attempt. “Should I put it on the new album or what, Detroit?,” thes singer teased afterwards, to unanimous approval from the 3,000 fans in attendance.
He also urged those fans to post videos of him performing the song online immediately so that his wife, Bunnie XO, who was on the West Coast taping episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, “will see it before I get off stage.”
The rest of Wednesday’s show — which was introduced by Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav — included Jelly Roll hits such as “Dead Man Walking,” “Halfway to hell,” “Smoking Section,” “Son of a Sinner,” “Bottle and Mary Jane,” “She,” “Wild Ones,” “Same Asshole” and “Need a Favor,” plus a rendition of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” in tribute to the late country icon. It also featured his usual medley of rap favorites by Eazy-E, Eminem, Outkast and Biz Markie.
The Detroit concert presented by Audacy’s WYCD served as a warm-up for Jelly Roll’s Stagecoach festival performance on Friday (April 26). He also has dates currently booked into October, including his own Beautifully Broken Tour with Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay and a pair of stadium shows with Morgan Wallen in Tampa on July 11-12.
Shakira did not lie when she announced on social media: “se viene la loba” (the she wolf is coming). The Colombian superstar unveiled the dates to the North American leg of her 2024 Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour on Tuesday (April 16), just on the heels of revealing the big news during her surprise […]
On Thursday night (April 11), the Barclays Center in New York City was electrified by the presence of Bad Bunny. The arena, filled to its 19,000-person capacity, buzzed with anticipation as the Puerto Rican superstar kicked off the first show of his three-night stint in the city.
“New York has been very important in my career, where dreams come true,” Benito told his fans in his native Spanish during the performance. “Being on the tour feels really amazing, going to each place and seeing it, all the cities, but New York, it’s something else. It feels more amazing than usual. Seeing all those PR and DR flags makes it even more special. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here, it means a lot to me.”
Bad Bunny — who wore Prada sunglasses, a velour suit, and a gold cross necklace — delivered a dynamic performance that was an amalgamation of music and spectacle. It included a grand orchestra, an equestrian entrance, a surprise appearance by Bryant Myers to perform “Seda,” a jigsaw-like stage that transformed into the Brooklyn Bridge, and, of course, a repertoire of his biggest hits. (Here’s the complete setlist of the tour, which slightly changed to add “Amorfoda” and “Tití Me Preguntó.”)
This was part of his Most Wanted Tour — in support of his Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana album — which kicked off on Feb. 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Live Nation-promoted tour is halfway through its schedule, with forthcoming performances in cities including Austin, Texas (Apr. 26-27), Atlanta, Ga. (May 14-15), and Miami, Fla. (May 24-26). See the full dates here.
According to Billboard Boxscore, the tour has already been a commercial success, grossing $84.2M and selling 282K tickets over its first 18 shows. It has consistently sold out venues, demonstrating Bad Bunny’s continued widespread appeal.
Here are five standout moments from the first night of Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour at the Barclays Center:
The Grandeur of an Orchestra
Olivia Rodrigo closed out her epic four-night stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night (April 10) by bringing out yet another surprise guest. The final show on the first North American run of Rodrigo’s GUTS tour found the singer sharing the stage with Jewel, who joined her for a run through the […]
As she continues the North American leg of her Celebration Tour, Madonna is currently holding court in Miami for her three-day takeover (April 6, 7, and 9) at the Kaseya Center. During Sunday night’s show (April 7), the Queen of Pop surprised her fans with a special guest and good friend, Ricky Martin. Explore See […]
Davido has been on a victory lap since last March when he dropped his fourth studio album Timeless, which earned the Afrobeats heavyweight three Grammy nominations this year. But on April 17, he’ll celebrate a very special stop: his first headlining show at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
“I always said I want to be at the Garden. I think that’s every artist’s dream. The greats have performed there, like Michael Jackson,” he tells Billboard over Zoom while on the set of his music video for the Fave-assisted “Kante.” “I did five arenas last year for the Timeless Tour. But we didn’t have New York, so definitely this time, we wanted to add New York.”
The North American leg of the Timeless Tour included stops in Washington, D.C., Houston, Chicago, Boston, Toronto and Atlanta (the last stop was part of Davido’s A.W.A.Y Fest, which featured additional performances from his “Unavailable” collaborator Musa Keys, Spinall, Victony, King Promise and more). Following his summer stint, Davido embarked on the European leg, which had stops in the U.K., Germany, Denmark, Sweden and France. He ended 2023 back home with three performances in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos. His MSG show is the first of three additional North American arena dates, which continue with a show at Montreal’s Place Bell on April 19 and end with a show at Orlando’s Additional Financial Arena on April 24.
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“My show right now is over two hours [long]. And my new setup for tour, there’s a Stage A and there’s a Stage B, so I’m running up and down the whole night,” he says. “To produce the Davido show right now, we’re talking about $400,000, almost $500,000 – just for production alone. That’s one thing I think we’ve improved on a lot. And I have an amazing band, The Compozers. It’s the full package.”
Davido says he always has a new favorite Timeless track that he enjoys playing live, but “I definitely love performing ‘Feel,’ ‘cause it’s a very energetic record and it’s a feel-good song.” But when it comes to Davido’s other timeless records, he says the crowd still goes crazy over his 2013 track “Skelewu.” “I don’t feel like there’s a major formula to making timeless music. To me, it just comes naturally.” There is, however, one key ingredient needed for Davido’s pre-show ritual. “I definitely need to get my massage, a little 40-minute massage in,” he adds. “I eat, but I don’t like to eat too much ‘cause I don’t want to be too full ‘cause I gotta move around. And 20 minutes before I get on stage, I like to have a little bit of quiet time to myself.”
Performing in New York has also become a special ritual. The first time the Atlanta-born Nigerian artist born David Adedeji Adeleke performed in New York was in 2014 at the Pulse 48 nightclub in Brooklyn, which the New York Police Department had to shut down because the show was overbooked. “I’ve been coming back to New York almost every year since then,” he says. “New York was one of the first cities that was really putting on for African music in the mainstream. The first song that I got on the radio was in New York, so New York has a special place in my heart.”
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His 2017 single “Fall,” which was later included on his sophomore album A Good Time, gradually took over U.S. airwaves two years after its release, reaching No. 13 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and No. 14 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay in 2019. And listeners were eager to discover exactly who was behind it: In New York City, “Fall” became a top 10 record on Shazam in 2019, Rolling Stone reported at the time, while “If,” another big Davido record from 2017, was a top 50 Shazam record two years after it came out.
Davido recently scored another hit with his apperance on Chris Brown’s “Sensational,” which earned Davido and fellow featured artist Lojay their first entries on the Billboard Hot 100. “I feel like I should have 100 entries, bro, but they finally let a n—a in!” he laughs. “Shoutout to CB. Me and him have an amazing working relationship, [we’ve] been working for years now, we got a couple records, performed all over the world with my brother. Me and CB ‘bout to drop more records, too. I think we drop another one in a couple of weeks, so watch out for that.” The two have collaborated on “Blow My Mind” and “Lower Body” in 2019, “Shopping Spree” (also with Young Thug) in 2020 and “Nobody Has to Know” in 2022.
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His fans will also have to watch out for his upcoming album (“It’s another classic, trust me,” Davido teases) that he’s currently working on – even while he’s on tour. “We got a mobile studio, so I can literally record anywhere. Inspiration can come anytime whether I’m on stage, whether I’m on the road,” says Davido. “I’ll always set up a studio and I have my producers fly with me, travel with me.”
And as he continues to spread African music and culture across the globe through his recorded and live music, Davido wants his African fans who will be attending the MSG show to “leave and be proud to be who they are, proud of the culture, proud of how far we’ve come. As Africans, we’re changing the narrative of being African in America. Years ago, it was a different thing. Now, when you say you’re African, you’re proud to say it, eat the food, wear the clothes, play the music,” he says. “And [for] the people that are coming to experience African culture for the first time, I want them to leave knowing that they’re never going to forget this.”
On Thursday, April 4, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band delivered its first of two headlining shows at Los Angeles’ The Forum — and it was a rousing, and lengthy, experience. The trek, which kicked off mid-March in Phoenix (after being rescheduled from 2023 due to Springsteen’s peptic ulcer disease) has already produced headline-worthy […]
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The Kentucky Derby is heating up with a star-studded lineup for FanDuel’s inaugural Kentucky Derby Party on May 3. The event announced on Thursday (April 4), exclusively via Billboard, that Luke Bryan and Ne-Yo will be the headlining performers at the invite-only show, which will take place at Paristown Arts and Entertainment District in Louisville, […]
Laura Pausini made her world tour stop at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday (March 30), delivering a retrospective of songs that celebrated her 30-year career.
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The Italian superstar, who effortlessly performs in three languages (English, Spanish, and Italian), kicked off her trek in her native country last December and will wrap the tour on April 6 at New York’s The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
At 8:40 p.m. Saturday night, Pausini arrived on stage wearing a black pantsuit topped with a sequined trench coat. Also wearing a coral-colored tie and gloves, she kicked off her show with “El Primer Paso en la Luna,” part of her 2023 album Almas Paralelas.
She then performed other songs off the new set, including “Durar,” “Un Buen Inicio” and “Todas Las Veces,” before greeting the packed venue, mostly of people above their 30s.
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“Thank you everybody. I’m so happy to be here. Of course this show would be 80 percent in Spanish because you changed my life. Bienvenidos a todos una vez más,” the artist said. “Tonight we’re here to look back at the 30 years of my career. This is a recap of the most significant songs and moments that I have experienced with you by my side. I will share videos that show what it’s like to live inside a dream.”
Immediately after, Pausini performed a medley with the “most personal songs of all my career.” Sitting at a piano, she explained that in 2010 she took a break from music to become a mother. She noted the challenges she faced as a then 35-year-old woman trying to get pregnant, and recalled writing a song to gain strength. It was later, during one of her tours, that she discovered she was expecting.
Pausini also shared a video of the day she proposed to her longtime boyfriend, and guitarist, Paolo Carta. The couple got married in 2023 after dating for 18 years and having their daughter.
In the midst of her compelling storytelling, she played the piano and performed the heartfelt songs “Así Celeste,” “Nuestro Amor de Cada Dia” and “Frente a Nosotros.”
Showcasing her musicianship, Pausini then switched the piano keys for an electric guitar and performed a rocking set of some of her biggest early 2000s hits: “Escucha Atento,” “Entre Tu y Mil Mares,” “Como Si No Nos Hubieramos Amado,” and “Volveré Junto a Ti” — all of which hit the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
“When I was 18, this was empty,” she said, referring to the packed Kaseya Center. “I’m grateful that you are all here supporting me now that I’m an old lady,” she joked, this time wearing black boots and a metallic silver fringe top.
Throughout the concert, Pausini — who was The Latin Record Academy’s 2023 Person of the Year — performed other hits, including “Seen,” which nabbed the 2021 Golden Globe for best original song for Io Sì, “En Cambio No,” “Viveme” and “Amores Extraños.”
The biggest surprise of the night, however, was when Luis Fonsi joined the artist on stage for a powerful duet version of “Inolvidable,” which they completely improvised before Pausini wrapped her show with “Se Fue,” the 1994 bop that ultimately put her on the map.
“I invite you into my life through the songs I’ve written to tell you who I really am,” she said. “We are accustomed to judging each other on social media without knowing the truth. It’s me tonight with my reality.”