Concerts
Page: 68
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced a $1 million donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation during one of the star’s weekend performances at Dodger Stadium, the last North American stop on his final tour.
The team’s principal owner, Mark Walter, and Dodgers co-owner Billie Jean King presented a symbolic giant check at Saturday night’s (Nov. 19) show.
John thanked the team for its generosity and called Dodger Stadium “an iconic venue which has meant so much to me and my career.”
John made his 1970 U.S. debut at a local nightclub, the Troubadour, and surged to stardom, famously appearing at Dodger Stadium in sequined Dodgers uniforms in 1975.
His foundation is an independent organization dedicated to ending AIDS.
One person has been arrested in connection with an alleged assault on a couple in the Dodger Stadium parking lot after an Elton John concert last week, a police spokesperson said Sunday (Nov. 20).
Video showing portions of an altercation was posted on the TMZ celebrity news website on Saturday.
Officer Rosario Cervantes said the Los Angeles Police Department was aware of the “battery and vandalism” that occurred on Nov. 17, but she did not have many details.
One victim was treated at a hospital and released on the night of the incident and another victim was released at a later date.
“We have one arrest that has been made. However that’s all we have at the moment,” Rosario said.
There was no additional information, including the identity of the arrestee, she said.
“The incident is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for us to comment at this time,” Dodgers spokesperson Nicole Singer said in an email to The Associated Press.
At around 11:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 19), a handful of fans were bundled up in beach chairs and tents along the Fonda Theatre’s parking lot fence in L.A. “BROCKHAMPTON ENDS AT THE FONDA,” the venue’s marquee sign read. The kids were camping out in hopes of getting tickets to Brockhampton’s final show, and on the night of the event, naturally, the line was wrapped around the block.
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Brockhampton declared it “BH Weekend” two days prior when they announced the show and released their final two albums, The Family and TM. Live-streamed on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, the concert was free, and starting at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, fans were able to get wristbands from the venue on a first come, first served basis, guaranteeing them a ticket to the show the following day.
The concert came as a surprise to fans since the group said their last two shows would be at Coachella earlier this year. Inside the Fonda, the floor slowly began to fill up in the hour preceding the show, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. The balcony was reserved for Brockhampton’s guests, including their family and their label, RCA. Dua Lipa was also attendance and fans spotted Tyler, the Creator as he slipped out at the end.
By 8:05 p.m., Kevin Abstract slowly walked on stage to Celine Dion‘s “All By Myself” before erupting into “Big P—y.” The band’s six other vocalists — Matt Champion, Joba, Bearface, Jabari Manwa, Merlyn and Dom McLennon — joined him shortly after and the boys played songs from each of their albums dating back to their debut studio album 2017’s Saturation.
Unlike their previous performances, the set design this time around was minimal. Only a wide, black staircase sat towards the back of the stage, and was used as a resting spot for the band in between songs. The boys also didn’t wear matching outfits this time, like their varsity jackets at Coachella earlier this year or their orange jumpsuits from their 2017 Camp Flog Gnaw Festival set, but looked as if they arrived separately to the show in clothes they had been wearing all the day. Yet, the crowd didn’t seem to notice or care, as they sang every word to every song with their favorite boy band for the last time.
“Brockhampton’s just like, acceptance and so many things that are important to me, and just changed everything. Thank you so much,” a front-row fan named Brendan said when asked why he likes Brockhampton. Brendan, who was also celebrating his birthday, was then invited on-stage for “Bleach.”
As the show went on, fans were lost in the moment, but there was an undeniable bittersweet feeling amongst the crowd. Like the fans, it seemed as though Brockhampton was excited to release some pent-up energy. The guys were running around the stage and jumping up and down, but it also felt like they were trying to get the show over with the way they transitioned between songs. There was little chatter in-between tracks too, except for the fan interaction and Merlyn introducing his former bandmates at the end. At one point, Abstract got a fan so hype, he almost jumped across the rail and climb on-stage.
By 9:39 p.m., the group walked off after performing “New Shoes” from TM. Naturally, fans began chanting “One more song!” and two minutes later, Bearface came back out to sing his solo ballad, “Summer.” They all then closed out the show for real with “Boogie.”
And while they didn’t take a group bow at the end, Brockhampton still made sure to provide a tad bit of closure. “Thank you very much, thanks for everything,” said Abstract. “See you guys, when we see you.”
In light of fans — and Taylor Swift herself — taking issue with Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s highly publicized Verified Fan Presale failure, Jack Antonoff has a few choice words to share about the touring industry’s treatment of artists.
The Bleachers frontman and producer hit Twitter on Friday (Nov. 18) to blast music venues for taking away the revenue that newer artists have the potential to make from merchandise sales during concerts.
“While we are having the discussion can venues simply stop taxing merch of artists? This is literally the only way you make money when you start out touring,” he started. “The more we make it tenable for young and small artists to make a living on the road the more great music we will get. Touring is one of the most honest ways to make a living. Some of the hardest and most heartfelt work you can do. So why must [they] f— artist[s] so hard?”
The Grammy winning producer continued, “[Simple] solutions, stop taxing merch, stop lying to artists about costs of putting on shows, include artists in more areas of revenue. The stories I could tell from my years of touring are bananas. Young artists on tour are the last to see any money.”
Antonoff’s thread comes at what feels like a watershed moment for the music industry. Ticketmaster and Live Nation have come under fire from Antonoff’s frequent collaborator Taylor Swift, her fans and lawmakers after the disastrous sale of tickets for her 2023 The Eras tour.
The failure has led to the U.S. Department of Justice launching an investigation to see if the companies have abused its market shares in the music industry after 14 million fans attempted to access the presale, experienced major technical difficulties and failed to secure tickets, despite gaining entry into Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan Presale for the event. “It’s truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them,” Swift said in a note to fans.
Another one of Antonoff’s collaborators, Lorde, spoke about the harsh realities of touring in a newsletter post to fans, stating, “for pretty much every artist selling less tickets than I am, touring has become a demented struggle to break even or face debt.” According to the “Solar Power” singer, an increase in ticket prices could cover the heightened cost of touring, but “no one wants to charge their harried and extremely-compassionate-and-flexible audience any more f—ing money.”
Antonoff, with the rest of Bleachers, will complete the final dates of the band’s How Dare You Want Tour on Dec. 3-4 at the Zona Festival in Phoenix. The band are confirmed for two festival dates in 2023; the High Water Fest in North Charleston, S.C., on April 15 and the Adjacent Music Fest in Atlantic City, N.J. on May 27.
See Antonoff’s tweets below.
while we are having the discussion can venues simply stop taxing merch of artists? this is literally the only way you make money when you start out touring— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) November 18, 2022
the more we make it tenable for young and small artists to make a living on the road the more great music we will get— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) November 18, 2022
touring is one of the most honest ways to make a living. some of the hardest and most heartfelt work you can do. so why must fuck artist so hard?— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) November 18, 2022
simpel solutions, stop taxing merch, stop lying to artists about costs of putting on shows, include artists in more areas of revenue. the stories i could tell from my years touring are bananas. young artists on tour are the last to see any money.— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) November 18, 2022
It’s 4 in the afternoon at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, two-and-a-half hours before doors open for Harry Styles‘ Monday night show, one of the final 15 residency-style concerts the Grammy-winner is hosting at the iconic venue. But the atmosphere outside is hardly the calm before the storm. In fact, it’s a glittery, brightly colored, feather boa-filled party filled with hundreds of young fans, lined up through the parking lot and down the street to ensure a spot standing as close to the stage as possible.
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“We got out here at 3 a.m.,” 26-year-old Jalyssa Brown tells Billboard, as she’s sitting on the pavement with her friend, Kaitlynn Beeler, 22, so close to the front of the line that they’ve seemingly guaranteed a great spot. “We didn’t sleep because it was so cold, but we wish we could have slept.” Ahead of her are dozens of fans who have been waiting even longer.
Beeler then explains that they waited in line with other fans from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m., and then after seven hours, they receive an “early general admission” wristband, which allows them to be one of the first to enter the venue. The fans are then encouraged to go home, rest and get ready, before returning at 3 p.m. to get back in line until doors open at 6:30 p.m. To pass the time, the groups keep it fun with card games, making TikToks or simply just talking to each other.
While there is inherently some risk of danger when young women are camping out overnight in a major city like Los Angeles or New York City, where there were similar scenes outside Styles’ shows at Madison Square Garden in August and September. But there’s strength in numbers when it comes to Styles fans, affectionately called Harries. “I fully slept on the street by myself, two feet away from a random car,” 19-year-old Julianna Malek, who was standing with a group of friends she just met, shares. “Harry is the only artist that I would feel safe camping by myself for. I knew this morning that I could come and make friends and be OK.”
“If we meet someone and they’re a die-hard Harrie, we know they’re going to be a good person,” one of Malek’s new pals, Darcy Callaway, 28, adds, before 24-year-old Olivia Nicholas agrees. “I would trust anyone here,” she says.
Julianna Malek, Cressie Rynne, Olivia Nicholas and Darcy Callaway.
Rania Aniftos
And, yes, they have a specially planned bathroom schedule. “I’m queen of pee,” Brown jokes. “You pee before you leave, and then again when you get here because there are Porta Potties. You get through the line and they let you pee again. Hopefully, by then, you’re fully drained but, if not, our number is lower so we’ll get inside then have five minutes to pee. But we haven’t been drinking water. It’s planned all day long.”
For the average music fan, waiting more than 15 hours outside in the cold just to see a concert might sound strange or even absurd. But talking to these fans for just a few minutes, it quickly becomes clear that all the time, effort and money spent is for more than their love of the 28-year-old star. There’s a sweet sense of community among the Harries, something that Styles himself often encourages throughout his shows and in songs like Fine Line‘s “Treat People With Kindness.”
“I think it speaks for itself when we can be like, ‘Oh we can name everyone in the line around us.’ Everyone is so open and kind and wanting to connect,” 24-year-old Cressie Rynne explains, before Malek chimes in, “Most people here have followed Harry since his 2011 One Direction days, so we have such a huge piece of our lives growing up with this man. It’s surprisingly a very connecting factor.”
“I mean, we just met her 10 minutes ago,” Rynne says, pointing at Malek, who begins to gush over the noticeable variety in races, ethnicities and sexual orientations among the fans in line. “His message is so positive and he provides such a safe space for so many different identities of people. That’s one of his biggest attractors,” she says.
And, of course, his looks don’t hurt. “Have you seen him?” Nicholas says with a laugh.
Harry Styles can’t seem to catch a break during his live shows. Continuing what seems to be an unfortunate fan tradition, Styles — while performing “Kiwi” from his self-titled debut LP at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Monday night (Nov. 14) — got an eyeful’s worth of Skittles thrown at his face, and as a result covered his eyes.
A disgruntled fan who caught the moment on camera took to Twitter and wrote, “whoever the f–k threw a solid object at his eye, u literally ruined kiwi bc he wouldn’t open his eye for the whole song.” Another worried fan, who shared video of the moment slowed down, wrote, “like are you joking?? look how hard he recoils hope your eye is okay @Harry_Styles.”
Thankfully, Styles appears to be okay — not only did he continue with the rest of his concert, Styles’ backing bandmate Pauli the PSM shared an update about his condition during an Instagram Live DJ set later in the evening. “H came through, confirming his eye is okay,” Pauli said, adding, “But do me a favor, don’t throw no more Skittles on stage.”
Styles appeared to also have a good sense of humor about his injury. Tuning into Pauli’s Live, he commented, “See you tomorrow AVEC eye patch.”
This is far from the first time the “Watermelon Sugar” singer has had objects thrown at him while performing. During an August show of Styles’ Madison Square Garden residency, a fan threw multiple chicken nuggets on stage, and in October, a fan threw an unidentified object that hit him in the groin area.
See the tweets regarding Styles’ Skittles-induced eye injury below.
whoever the fuck threw a solid object at his eye, u literally ruined kiwi bc he wouldn’t open his eye for the whole song pic.twitter.com/CRBWzsYqcc— mandi🏠HARRY TALKED TO ME?? (@ibringthep0p) November 15, 2022
Penske Media Corporation’s new music, art and food festival LA3C is just weeks away, aiming to celebrate the rich culture and diverse communities in the metropolis over a star-studded two-day event.
“This will be the first festival of its kind to fortify a city that combines talent, diversity and culture like no other while engaging with organizations solving some of the city’s pressing challenges,” said LA3C Chief Executive Juan Mora of the upcoming festival in an official statement. “[PMC CEO] Jay [Penske]’s vision and the commitment to positively impact the city of Los Angeles is inspiring. I plan to leverage the expertise of Penske Media’s iconic brands to create an experience for all visitors, and we invite creatives, musicians, and artists to join in our mission.”
Besides performances from Maluma, Megan Thee Stallion, Snoop Dogg, SEVENTEEN and more, LA3C will support the next generations of creative talent in Los Angeles through partnerships with nonprofit arts organizations Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) and Film Independent.
See below for everything you need to know about the festival celebrating the city of Los Angeles.
Penske Media Corporation is the parent company of Billboard.
The last time BLACKPINK performed at Newark’s Prudential Center was under a very special set of circumstances — the K-pop group took the stage at the VMAs in August to perform their sizzling Born Pink hit “Pink Venom,” which also served as the group’s live debut of the track and their first time performing at an American awards show. Though the girl group — which consists of members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé — dominated at the show, they admitted during their Nov. 14 Born Pink tour stop at Prudential they were nervous to be back. Based on their performance, it was hard to believe.
The moment the group’s iconic “BLACKPINK in your area” tag and establishing horns blared through speakers, Blinks knew exactly which track the quartet was opening with and buzzed with energy and excitement. The set kicked off with BLACKPINK’s personal statement, “How You Like That,” which saw the group expertly hit the song’s memorable choreography with the help from female backup dancers. The opening track served as BLACKPINK’s formal arrival, and concluded with larger than life stage fireworks — in pink, of course — and streamers as if to say “we’re here.”
The hits didn’t stop there — the first act of the concert catered to fans of their high-energy songs, from The Album‘s fan favorites “Pretty Savage” and “Lovesick Girls” to equally pumped up performances of “Don’t Know What To Do” from the Kill This Love EP and the group’s sizzling-yet-sparsely produced debut single “Whistle.” BLACKPINK continued to dabble in pyrotechnics during the show’s second and third acts, with more fireworks, and at times, actual fire onstage by the time “Kill This Love” and “Playing With Fire” rolled around in the setlist. Those were later followed by tracks “Pink Venom”, “Shut Down,” “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and “Typa Girl.”
Fans of BLACKPINK who have seen the group perform either in person or in video know that the girls divide their concert in half, with the second part featuring individual performances from each member of the group, and last night’s performance at the Prudential Center was no exception.
Jisoo was first up to the plate and performed a solo cover of Camila Cabello’s 2019 track “Liar,” a wonderful compliment to her unique vocal tone, while strutting down the runway stage and performing sultry dance moves with the help of the group’s background dancers. Jennie, who often performed her solo debut track “Solo” in previous BLACKPINK concerts, did not go for the obvious choice this time — instead she gave fans a taste of a potential new solo track (fans are calling “You & Me,” though it has no official title yet), which saw her perform equal parts intricate and elegant dance moves with a male dancer, and highlighted her magnetic energy. Rosé, meanwhile, had more than enough solo material to work with but went with Born Pink solo cut “Hard to Love” and R single “On the Ground.” Lisa provided a masterclass in dancing when it came time to perform her solo hits “Lalisa” and “Money,” which saw Blinks in the audience performing the tracks’ moves, sometimes as well as her backup dancers on stage.
One of the sweetest highlights of the show was during the encore. After a near-10-minute wait — which saw fans across the area leading “when I say black, you say pink” and “boombayah” chants to rile up the crowd — the girls came back looking cozy in sweatshirts, hoodies and tees from their merch line, and stripped back their larger-than-life stage personas to goof around and make un-choreographed dances and cute faces with each other while singing “Yeah Yeah Yeah.” Before ending the show, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé took a picture with the entire stadium, prompting the Blinks in attendance to wave their lightsticks and throw up K-pop finger hearts for the camera.
BLACKPINK’s Born Pink tour shows that despite being a top performing global act, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé maintain the loving charm that has cemented them such a passionate fanbase. But don’t be fooled by their sweetness — their talent and star power can “shut down” almost any arena the second they decide to turn it on.
In the time since Paramore‘s last performance in New York — which took place in 2018 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as part of the band’s After Laughter tour — there was a major shift. The group has always had a fiercely dedicated group of fans across different races, genders and sexualities, but when the pandemic saw the rebirth of pop punk and alternative music, seen in the rise of stars like Olivia Rodrigo and GAYLE, fans of the genre went back to the basics and flocked back to Paramore. So when the group announced an intimate gig at the historic Beacon Theatre on Sunday, the energy was fierce, fun and as, expected, energetic.
The gig kicked off with Paramore’s newest single, “This Is Why,” which showcased the agility of lead singer Hayley Williams’ vocals as she hit the snappy track’s high notes and funky low notes with ease, all while expertly performing her signature choreography consisting of intricate footwork, larger-than-life arm movements and head bangs (though the latter was in a shorter supply after a warning from Williams’ personal chiropractor, she told the audience during a speaking break).
The first half of the set saw Paramore catering to OG fans with a series of songs from the band’s first three albums, including Brand New Eyes single “Brick by Boring Brick,” Riot! classic “That’s What You Get,” All We Know Is Falling deep cut and fan favorite “Here We Go Again,” plus intense live versions of “Decode” and “I Caught Myself” for all the Twi-Hards in attendance — all of which the audience members sang verbatim.
If the first half of the set was about appeasing old-school fans, the second half of the set — which commenced after a tear-jerking performance of Brand New Eyes‘ acoustic slow jam “Misguided Ghosts” — was about fans fully committing to dancing as wildly as possible, according to Williams. The latter half of the concert was anchored by hits from After Laughter and the band’s self-titled LP, including the sing-along-inducing “Ain’t It Fun” and “Still Into You,” as well as “Rose-Colored Boy” (with a portion of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) and “Hard Times” (which included a snippet of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”), before rolling into the band’s most iconic song to date.
Williams prefaced their signature hit “Misery Business” with a few words to the audience, taking the time before launching into Riot!‘s lead single with a disclaimer.
“The grace that you’ve shown us as we’ve grown up and learned our lessons in front of the world — thank you for that. We’re going to play that TikTok hit not without this disclaimer: Thank you for growing up with us, learning the tough lessons and thank you for being good people. We promise to keep trying to be good people too and to keep learning these lessons.
“This song is about misogyny,” Williams simply said, playing the track that she’s had a complicated lyrical relationship with, even vowing to not perform it live again in previous years.
With nearly 20 years of being in a band, and five of those past years on a break, Paramore’s intimate performance at the Beacon proves what has always been true of the band: God, it just feels so good…to see them live once again.
Elton John is saying goodbye, but not without a little help from his friends. As announced Monday (Nov. 14) in a new teaser trailer, the 75-year-old legend will bring Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile onstage with him for “Elton John: Farewell From Dodger Stadium,” his final North American performance ever.
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The three-hour concert will be live-streamed at 11 p.m. EST Nov. 20 on Disney+, meaning the 50,000 fans at Dodger Stadium will make up just a fraction of the fans who get to watch Sir Elton as he plays his decades-worth of hit songs one last time in North America. And it’s only right that Lipa and Dee are joining him during the show, as the two have served as featured artists on a couple of the icon’s biggest smashes — nearly 50 years apart.
Earlier this year, Elton teamed up with the “Levitating” singer for a mashup of his older hits “Rocket Man,” “Sacrifice” and “Kiss the Bride” remixed by Pnau, which became his first UK No. 1 in 16 years. Five decades before that, Dee was the co-vocalist on his blockbuster duet “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1976.
Carlile has also collaborated with the “Your Song” singer, releasing “Simple Things” with John last year as part of his Billboard 200 Top 10 album The Lockdown Sessions. The two are longtime friends, and Carlile even hosted hosted the 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in March.
Before the farewell concert officially begins, a “Countdown to Elton Live” event will take place on the livestream. According to a release, some of the Grammy winner’s famous friends from around the globe will be featured, along with interviews with Elton John and his husband, filmmaker David Furnish.
After the concert, an hour-long iHeartRadio TV special, “Elton John’s Thank you to America: The Final Song,” will broadcast nationwide on Monday, November 21 at 1 a.m. EST. It’ll look back on legendary moments from Elton’s career and include a live simulcast of his final song and closing remarks from the Dodger Stadium show.
Watch the new trailer for Elton John’s farewell concert featuring Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile above.