State Champ Radio Concerts
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Dead & Company are planning a concert in Golden Gate Park to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead forming in 1965. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission will vote on issuing a permit for the anniversary concert this Thursday (May 15), paving the way for Another Planet Entertainment to promote the historic […]
A 100-degree day in the desert was the scene to kick off the After Hours Til Dawn Tour in Arizona on Friday night (May 9). The Weeknd and Playboi Carti matched the heat and brought the fire to the State Farm Stadium stage, setting the tone for the 43-date North American trek. 60,000 of the […]
It’s been more than a year since Kendrick Lamar upended the rap game and significantly altered the course of popular culture with “Not Like Us,” the five-time Grammy-winning, Billboard Hot 100-topping knockout punch in his monthslong battle against Drake. If the feverish crowd at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Friday night (May 10) was anything to go by, K.Dot’s ongoing domination isn’t likely to subside anytime soon.
Lamar and SZA, former TDE labelmates and both global superstars in their own rights, graced the NYC-area venue for their second of two shows in East Rutherford, N.J., on their blockbuster Grand National Tour. One of the most ambitious treks in hip-hop history, the Grand National Tour is a towering achievement.
From mainstream-conquering smashes (“Luther,” “Humble,” “DNA”) to headier deep cuts from his latest Billboard 200 chart-topper (“Man at the Garden,” “Reincarnated”), Lamar meticulously presented hip-hop as stadium-sized theater. He didn’t do so by relying on flashy production or set design; instead, he stripped hip-hop down to its five founding pillars, laying bare the incomparable art form that is emceeing on a hot mic.
Kicking things off with GNX opener “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar launched the nearly three-hour extravaganza all on his lonesome. Lamar and SZA traded sets bridged by beloved duets like “Doves in the Wind,” “All the Stars” and the more recent “30 for 30 Freestyle.” Though both artists sourced the bulk of their sets from their most recent releases (GNX for Lamar and SOS Deluxe: LANA for SZA), they also held space for their respective catalogs. Lamar rapped the opening verse of “Swimming Pools” completely a cappella for his “day ones”; SZA frequently shouted out her “Ctrl babies” before performing cuts like “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” and “Broken Clocks,” and she pulled Zacari‘s weight for a sweet rendition of Lamar’s “Love.”
SZA performs on the opening night of the Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar on April 19, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cassidy Meyers
Across a stage reminiscent of the video game controller setup of Lamar’s landmark Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the Grand National Tour’s set design is largely minimalistic, save for a stair platform placed at the center of the stage. Despite a few levitating mini-platforms and a flying fairy moment for SZA, the true centerpiece of the Grand National stage was the literal GNX that helped the set transition between each set. When Kendrick first hit the stage, the black GNX stood as it does on the album cover, but by the time SZA hit her set, the vehicle transformed into a grassy, fauna-laden ride that nodded to the insect aesthetic of the LANA era. At the show’s close (“Gloria”), Lamar opened the passenger door for SZA like a consummate gentleman and joined her in the car as they wished the packed stadium safe travels home.
Both a wildly impressive victory lap and the progeny of over a decade of grueling work from both Lamar and SZA, the Grand National Tour saw two of the most defining artists of the 2010s operating at the height of their powers while ensuring hip-hop always remains at the center.
Here are the 10 best moments from their Grand National Tour stop at MetLife Stadium.
Prince Easter Eggs
The hits, the dancing, the outfits, there was so much to look forward to at Rauw Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestra tour stop in Chicago on Friday (May 9). Safe to say, there was all of that and more.
Rauw’s first night (out of three) at the United Center was the hottest ticket in town with fans flocking to the West Side of Chicago in full Cosa Nuestra dress code: evening gowns, elegance, flow and style. While I struggled to come up with an outfit that would be on theme, it seemed like no one else had that same issue.
“This dress is from my junior prom,” Jasmin Martínez, who wore a shimmery ball gown adorned with feathers, told Billboard. She traveled to Chicago from Wisconsin with her sister Janet, who exuded elegance in a sheer, rhinestone-studded gown.
Once inside, the sisters snapped photos and selfies, just like everyone else did to show off their fits of the night. Around 8 p.m. fans began making their way to their seats, making sure they wouldn’t miss the man of the hour take the stage. And once he did, the crowd roared giving Rauw a warm Chicago welcome.
“I see all the ladies with the dress code,” Rauw said at the top of the show, acknowledging his zealous fans who followed closely his instructions. “We have three sold-out [shows] here in Chicago. I just want to say thank you, gracias de todo corazón.”
Alejandro sang well over two hours, which were divided into four acts. See, at a Cosa Nuestra tour stop, you don’t get your traditional show, this is almost like a play on Broadway, there’s even a Playbill-like program that fans can scan to follow along. (More details on the acts below). There’s acting, singing, interludes, a master of ceremony — the whole deal. I can confidently say, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Actually, think West Side Story, as Rauw’s concert centers around María and Raúl’s (played by Rauw) twisted love story.
“Today I bring you not only music,” a description of the musical reads in the program. “I bring you a piece of my history, of our culture and of the dreams that walk between the streets of Puerto Rico and New York. This journey is for those who love without fear, dream without permission and fight without rest. Welcome to my world.”
Rauw’s Cosa Nuestra Tour is in support of his latest album under the same name, which he released late last year. The 18-track set — sonically varied from salsa to R&B to reggaetón to electro-funk to kizomba — gave the Puerto Rican star his first top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 debuting at No. 6. The set also sits atop both the Top Latin Albums chart and Latin Rhythm Albums charts.
The Live Nation-produced trek continues in Chicago on May 10-11 and will then make stops in New York, Atlanta and Miami. See the dates here.
Here are some best moments from Rauw’s first show at United Center.
The Acts
Weezer, Car Seat Headrest, Janelle Monáe, Bright Eyes, Aurora and Sylvan Esso are among the headliners for the 2025 Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival. The 52nd annual edition of the Seattle fest will take place over Labor Day weekend (August 30-31) and feature the usual eclectic mix of music, delicious local food and drink and visual arts programming.
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Other artists slated to take the stage at this year’s event include: The Budos Band, Indigo De Souza, Tank and the Bangas, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Pattie Gonia, Say She She, Hey, Nothing, Quasi, Tennis, Saba, The Linda Lindas, Bob the Drag Queen DJ set, Real Estate, The Murder City Devils, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Spellling, Fat Dog, Bebe Stockwell and Digable Planets celebrating the 30th anniversary of Blowout Comb.
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Bumbershoot Weekend passes are available for $199 through Thursday (May 8), with the Big Gulp joint ticket going on sale for $340 on Friday (May 9) — for both Bumbershoot and the Capitol Hill Block Party (July 19-20) — along with single-day tickets for $125. The festival is also offering a Crew Pack for $800 which features weekend passes for four people; for more ticketing information click here.
In addition to two days of music against the backdrop of Seattle Center’s 74-acre urban campus, Bumbershoot will offer food from local restaurants, Cocktail Corner, VineShoot and BumBEERshoot highlighting the best food and drink from the Pacific Northwest. It will also feature art installations, comedy, runways shows in the Fashion District, a half pipe skate program in the Recess District and a Century 21 District with large-scale contemporary sculptures.
Check out the full lineup for the 2025 Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival below.
Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Doja Cat, Luke Combs, The Strokes, John Summit and Doechii are among the headliners of the 2025 Austin City Limits Festival. The fest that takes place in Zilker Park over two weekends — Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-12 — will also feature sets from Feid, Cage the Elephant, T-Pain, Empire of the Sun, DJO, Pierce the Veil, Rilo Kiley, Maren Morris, Mk.gee, Zeds Dead, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Modest Mouse, Wet Leg, King Princess and many more.
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The artists will spread out on nine stages, with this year’s event again slated to stream on Hulu, which will air select live performances, interviews and more during the first weekend, with a full broadcast lineup and schedule to be announced later this summer.
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Other acts on this year’s roster include: Role Model, Japanese Breakfast, Car Seat Headrest, Magdalena Bay, Olivia Dean, Marina, Gigi Perez, MJ Lenderman, Phantogram, Passion Pit, The Dare, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, Panda Bear, Anderson East, Lucius and many more.
Three-day general admission, GA+, VIP and platinum tickets will go on sale today at 1 p.m. ET here, with plans available starting at only $25 down; one-day tickets will be available at a later date.
Fans can also catch some shade at the Bonus Tracks stage, which organizers call a hub of “culture, connection, and good vibes [that] comes alive between music sets with a diverse lineup of programming. Expect artist and thought leader interviews, podcast recordings, cooking demos, drag performances, and creative ways to move your body and recharge your mind.”
Among the past highlights on that stage are author and podcaster Brené Brown in conversation with Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl and Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein, as well as intimate chats with Billie Eilish and Noah Cyrus and dance parties with Bob’s Dance Shop, and the best of Austin Drag hosting bingo and live shows.
Check out the full lineup and 2025 ACL poster below.
She came — and she delivered one of the greatest shows at Rio de Janiero’s Copacabana Beach has ever seen on Saturday (May 3). At 10:10 p.m., with a 25-minute delay, Lady Gaga took the stage at Todo Mundo No Rio in Brazil and gave a performance lasting more than two hours — a display of excellence that moved the audience of 2 million-plus people and the artist herself. According to Riotur, the number was half a million more than expected. With this attendance, she became the female artist with the highest concert attendance, surpassing Madonna’s previous record of 1.6 million fans at Copacabana Beach in 2024.
The forecast was also right for the evening, and there wasn’t a trace of rain before or after Lady Gaga’s show. During the performance, the sky was clear with few clouds, and the ocean breeze kept the temperature pleasantly cool. While rain ponchos stayed tucked away, the real stars of the show were hand fans — used more as percussion instruments than for cooling off. Waved to the rhythm of the music to applaud the singer and even to complain about the delay, the sound of the fans (one of the top-selling accessories during Gaga’s visit to Brazil) became a defining feature of her Copacabana show.
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With fireworks, record-breaking numbers and tributes to Brazil, Lady Gaga made every minute of the 13-year wait since her last performance in the country worth it.
The Queen of Copa
Tributes to Brazil were plentiful throughout the show. The first came with the outfit revealed at the end of “Abracadabra,” during which Mother Monster appeared in green attire with blue and yellow stripes. During “How Bad Do U Want Me,” her dancers took the stage wearing CBF jerseys.
Gaga directed several messages to the Brazilian crowd. Before singing “Poker Face,” she addressed the audience: “Brazil! I missed you so much. Are you ready for tonight?”
But her most emotional moment came before performing the classic “Alejandro.” Standing on one of the stage structures, Lady Gaga unfurled a Brazilian flag and invited young interpreter Nicholas to help her deliver a heartfelt message. In a speech that lasted nearly five minutes, an emotional Gaga moved the crowd. “Tonight, we’re making history. But no one makes history alone,” she said. “Without you, the incredible people of Brazil, I wouldn’t be living this moment. Thank you for making history with me. Brazilians are the reason I can shine. You’re as vibrant and beautiful as the sun and moon rising over the ocean, right here on Copacabana Beach.”
From the Fans’ Perspective
None of the fans interviewed were disappointed with the show. During and after the performance, the crowd’s joy was undeniable — though some organizational issues were pointed out by the Little Monsters.
Carol, 28, Isabela, 25, and Julia, 29, traveled from Sorocaba to see Lady Gaga. They felt the discomfort of being in the middle of the crowd. “We were near the platform and almost got trampled. It was poorly organized,” Carol said. About the setlist, she added, “The show was amazing. I wish there had been more hits, but I get that it’s the album tour. Either way, it was an incredible performance.”
Gabriel, 23, came from Espírito Santo. Despite some initial hiccups, the fan had an unforgettable night. “It was crazy. I lost my friend, and there was chaos at first,” he shared. “But once I found a calmer spot, I sang, I cried — it was so special. The moment that hit me hardest was ‘Born This Way,’ a song that represents me. It was totally worth it.”
For public servant Camila, 35, and administrator Edvaldo, 36, the show was a great experience shared between longtime friends. “I thought it was better than her Coachella set. Loved her using Brazil’s colors,” Camila said.
“The fireworks were the perfect finale. We found a comfortable spot, not too far from the stage, and had a blast,” Edvaldo added.
A Letdown for Street Vendors
Many street vendors felt that Lady Gaga’s show didn’t bring significant sales, for various reasons.
Grill vendor Rafael Mourão, 37, managed decent sales, but only reached Avenida Atlântica around 7 p.m. “Sales were much lower than Madonna’s show,” he said. “I had trouble getting into the area because of police blockades. The city throws a party but makes it hard for the less fortunate to work.”
Thiago, a drinks seller, believed fans bringing their own supplies hurt sales. “It wasn’t a total loss, but sales were just OK,” he shared. “People are being cheap — bringing beer from home instead of supporting local workers.”
Luciene, 23, also struggled. “I didn’t sell well, and it seems most didn’t either. I got here at 9 a.m. and am going home with most of my stock,” said the vendor. “On New Year’s, I did great — today was really slow.”
Will Lady Gaga Return to Brazil Soon?
If it’s up to the Mother Monster, she won’t stay away for so long again. Beyond her many declarations of love for Brazil, she expressed her desire to return soon: “I want to come back soon, soon — I don’t want to wait so long next time.”
She also shared how at home she feels in the South American country. “In Brazil, I feel like part of a community, and that’s so pure. I feel how much music means to you — and it means everything to me too.”
Let’s wait for the Mother Monster’s next steps — and hope she doesn’t take another 13 years to return to Brazil!
This article was written by Lucas Vieria for Billboard Brasil.
Police in Brazil said on Sunday (May 4) that two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.
The Rio event on Saturday (May 3) was the biggest show of the pop star’s career that attracted more than 2 million fans to Copacabana Beach and had crowds screaming and dancing along.
Even as Brazilian authorities said they arrested suspects in the hours before Gaga’s show, the event went ahead without disruption — leading some to question the seriousness of the threat. Serious security concerns typically lead organizers to cancel such massive events — as happened with Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna last year.
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Police said said nothing about the alleged plot at the time to in an effort to “avoid panic” and “the distortion of information.”
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Gaga said the pop star and her team “learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning. 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 risks.”
The statement added: “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.”
Security was tight at Saturday’s concert, with 5,200 military and police officers deployed to the beach where fans were reveling in the pop singer’s classic hits like “Born This Way,” which became something of an LGBTQ anthem after its 2011 release.
Rio de Janeiro’s state police and Brazil’s Justice Ministry presented the bare outlines of a plot that they said involved a group that promoted hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community, among others, and had planned to detonate homemade explosive devices at the event.
“The plan was treated as a ‘collective challenge’ with the aim of gaining notoriety on social media,” the police said. The group, it added, disseminated violent content to teenagers online as “a form of belonging.”
Authorities arrested two people in connection with the alleged plot — a man described as the group’s leader in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on illegal weapons possession charges, and a teenager in Rio on child pornography charges. Police did not elaborate on their exact roles in the plot or on how the group came to target Gaga’s free concert.
“Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” police said.
The Justice Ministry said that it determined the group posed a “risk to public order.” It said the group falsely presented themselves online as “Little Monsters” — Gaga’s nickname for her fans — in order to reach teenagers and lure them into “networks with violent and self-destructive content.”
The ministry said there was no impact on those attending the open-air concert.
During a series of raids on the homes of 15 suspects across several Brazilian states, authorities confiscated phones and other electronic devices. Although police said they believed homemade bombs were intended for use in the planned attack, there was no mention of the raids turning up any weapons or explosive material.
Gaga has expressed gratitude for the enormous crowd in an Instagram post that said nothing of the alleged plot.
“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,” she wrote. “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 historical moment with you.”
Her free beach concert stood out at a time of surging ticket prices for live music around the world as concert-goers pay budget-busting costs to see their favorite artists.
Rio has done this before — last May, superstar Madonna performed the finale to her latest world tower for some 1.6 million fans on the sprawling sands of Copacabana Beach.
Lady Gaga performed to a record-breaking crowd during her free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday (May 3).
“Tonight, we’re making history,” she told the massive audience. “Thank you for making history with me.”
The concert began around 10 p.m. local time, with the 39-year-old pop icon opening with her 2011 track “Bloody Mary.” She followed it with a hit-filled set including fan favorites like “Poker Face” and “Alejandro,” as well as music from her latest Billboard 200-topping album, Mayhem.
Concert organizers estimated that approximately 2.1 million people attended the free Copacabana Beach show, according to Associated Press. The event is now the highest-attended concert by a female artist in history, surpassing Madonna’s 2024 performance at the same venue, which drew 1.6 million.
The largest concert crowd in history is still held by Rod Stewart, who drew 3.5 million fans to a New Year’s Eve performance at Copacabana Beach in 1994, according to the Guinness World Records.
Gaga’s performance drew over 1 million Brazilians and approximately 500,000 Little Monsters who flew in for the show, generating more than $100,000 for Rio’s economy, NPR reports. The city’s tourism department has announced that free concerts will continue to be held at Copacabana Beach at least through 2028.
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The Rio concert marked Gaga’s first performance in Brazil since 2012.
“I’ve missed you so much,” the superstar told the crowd during a soundcheck the night before the show, according to Rolling Stone. “I know that this is not the first show here, I know this is just a rehearsal, it feels like it’s the real show.”
In 2017, Gaga canceled her Rock in Rio performance due to “severe physical pain,” later revealing she had been hospitalized at the time.
Pop superstar Kylie Minogue capped her first arena tour of the United States and Canada on Friday night (May 2) as her Tension Tour touched down in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena.
“Good evening, Los Angeles! We are here!” the ever-gracious performer exclaimed to the packed house early in the evening. “Thank you so much each and every one of you for coming out tonight, and welcome to the Tension Tour.”
While the two-hour show took fans on a journey through four decades of Minogue’s hits, it also highlighted eight songs from her two most recent studio albums, Tension II (released in 2024) and Tension (2023). Among those choice cuts were Tension’s Grammy Award-winning “Padam Padam,” which was also a top 10-charting hit on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2023, and the show-opening “Lights, Camera, Action” from Tension II.
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The Tension Tour is just the third traveling show Minogue has brought to the U.S. and Canada, having previously visited the country with Aphrodite Live in 2011 and the KYLIE trek 2009, with both staged before more intimate crowds as compared to the arena-sized audiences of the Tension Tour. Separate from her three tours, Minogue also mounted her first Las Vegas residency in 2023-24, with 20 dates at the 1,000-seat capacity Voltaire at The Venetian Las Vegas.
The Tension Tour kicked off on Feb. 15 in Perth, in Minogue’s home country of Australia, moved to Asia for a trio of dates (March 10-15) and then reached North America on March 29 in Canada. For the U.S. and Canada run, the Tension Tour played 16 shows between March 29-May 2, including a pair of nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden (April 4-5). The trek now moves to Europe on May 16, then to South America on Aug. 7, and then back to North America for its three final dates in Mexico (Aug. 22-26). By the close of the Tension Tour, Minogue will have played nearly 70 shows in more than 25 countries on five continents.
At one point during the Los Angeles show on Friday, Minogue paused and reflected, “Here we are in 2025 and I get to be on a world tour with these beautiful humans, beautiful intelligent humans — the ones you can see on the stage and off stage. And I get very emotional thinking about this, this… that I’ve… it’s been a lifetime and sometimes it just amazes me. So very, very grateful. Thank you so much for being here.”
That “lifetime” of a musical career was on display through the show, with Minogue offering up a bevy of hits like her first single, the 1987 cover of “The Loco-Motion,” along with “Better the Devil You Know” (1990), “Spinning Around” (2000, and joined onstage by the show’s opening act Rita Ora), “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001), “All the Lovers” (2010) and many more.
Before the final song of the night (“Love at First Sight”), a joyful Minogue shared a message with the crowd: “You’ve been beyond tonight. You’ve been here, present, ready, going — thank you so much for being here, for your beautiful energy, for being here for me in all different times of my career. For being there for each other! I just want to give a real shout-out to our entire crew because this has been an incredible run. We’ve loved it, so thank you.” After a moment of applause from the crowd, she then humorously added, “I’ve got some old friends here tonight. Look at me now!”
