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A year after pulling the plug on their festival early after The 1975 singer Matty Healy slammed Malaysia‘s anti-LGBTQ laws as “f–king ridiculous” before sharing a long kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald, Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival has announced its return.
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The two-day event at Resorts World Awana in Genting Highlands will take place on July 20-21, Joji and Russ headlining the first night, along with a lineup featuring Alec Benjamin, Haven, Peach Pit, Ylona Garcia, Cherry Bomb, Spooky Wet Dreams, Bad Habits and more.
The second day will be topped by J Balvin, who will be joined by Peggy Gou, Bibi, Henry Moodie, Tiger JK & Yoon Mi Rae, Forceparkbois, Talitha, Capt’n Trips and the Kid and more. Tickets for the festival go on sale at 11 a.m. on Friday (May 10) here.
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Future Sound Asia’s director of entertainment, Wan Alman, spoke to the NME about the event’s return, declining to comment on The 1975 due to ongoing legal action against the group while emphasizing that the festival is not banned and will return this year. “To be honest, this year has really been one of the most challenging festivals to plan – and not for the reasons you might think. It’s not really anything to do with what happened last year, but this year has been an especially challenging time for festivals around the world in general,” Alman said, citing the cancellation of Australia’s Splendour in the Grass and what he claimed were lineup backlashes facing other festivals.
“It’s been really tough booking acts for festivals all around the world. Not everyone will get a great line-up like Coachella or Splendour, and when you don’t get a great line-up, people don’t buy tickets,” he added. “I think a major cause of this is that artist fees have skyrocketed. I think it’s going to be unsustainable but it’s just getting higher and higher every year.”
Despite cancelling the second and third days of last year’s event over Healy’s comments, Alman said the Malaysian government was “quite supportive” of this year’s return. “They want to work with us hand-in-hand to make sure that that sort of thing doesn’t happen again and that the live music industry and the festival industry isn’t adversely affected by what happened,” he said. The festival has been working with local authorities to come up with a standard operating procedure to deal with a similar incident in the future.
And though he said the 1975 dust-up did not inform their booking choices this year, Alman stressed that the decade-old festival did more due diligence this time to make sure the acts they slotted were “not controversial.” That said, event organizers do have a “kill switch” they can enact that immediately cuts off audio, video and stage lighting should there be another incident, something Alman called “the very last resort.”
See the full lineup for the 2024 Good Vibes festival below.
Usher is sharing his frustration over the cancellation of the Lovers & Friends Festival 2024 in Las Vegas.
Shortly after organizers announced on Friday night (May 3) that the one-day music festival was called off due to dangerous weather conditions, the R&B icon shared a message with fans who were headed to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds to watch him headline on Saturday.
“Mannn… I’m just as disappointed as you are. We were getting ready to turn up and celebrate today,” Usher wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I have to follow the orders of city officials and the National Weather Service for everyone’s protection and stand strong in my belief that everything happens for a reason.”
He added, “I’m sorry we won’t get to see each other today, but know that I am always working on something to express my heartfelt gratitude for each and every one of you who continue to support me. I’ll see you soon.”
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Usher was set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his classic album Confessions during the festival on Saturday. The star-studded lineup also included headliners Janet Jackson and Backstreet Boys, along with performances by Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Nas, Alicia Keys, and many others.
Less than 15 hours before the festival was scheduled to begin, organizers shared a message on social media explaining that the outdoor event was being called off because of a high wind warning issued by the National Weather Service.
“The National Weather Service has now issued a High Wind Warning, including dangerous 30-35 mph sustained winds with gusts potentially more than 60 mph,” organizers wrote. “Following advice from the National Weather Service and in consultation with local public officials, we must make the safest decision for our fans, artists, and staff, and cancel tomorrow’s Lovers & Friends Festival.”
They added, “This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have traveled from all over the world to enjoy this incredible lineup of superstars and have been looking forward to this event for several months. We’ve worked hard to create an amazing event for you, and we are just as disappointed as you are.”
Fans who purchased their tickets directly through Front Gate Tickets will receive a refund within 30 days, organizers said.
See Usher’s Lovers & Friends statement on X below.
Mannn…I’m just as disappointed as you are. We were getting ready to turn up and celebrate today. I have to follow the orders of city officials and the National Weather Service for everyone’s protection and stand strong in my belief that everything happens for a reason. I’m sorry…— Usher Raymond IV (@Usher) May 4, 2024
With Pride season just around the corner, Kesha is ready to help the denizens of West Hollywood celebrate properly.
On Tuesday (April 30), WeHo Pride announced that the “Your Love Is My Drug” singer would serve as the official headliner for WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD, the organization’s free outdoor concert taking place on Friday, May 31.
Kesha won’t be the only artist taking to the stage at the kickoff concert. Along with the singer’s headlining set, Friday Night at OUTLOUD will also feature performances from Adam Lambert, Monét X Change, Laganja Estranja, Morphine Love Dion, Niña Dioz, Jessica Betts, Owenn and Venessa Michaels.
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While the event is free for the public, registration will be required in order to gain entry. For those looking to attend, registration for the concert will open this Friday (May 3) at 10 a.m. PT on OUTLOUD’s website, with participants limited to one registration per email address.
In a statement released with the news, West Hollywood’s mayor John M. Erickson celebrated the “kaleidoscope of queer talent” being featured at upcoming festivities amid ongoing political turmoil for the LGBTQ+ community. “As we approach the 2024 WeHo Pride season, the City of West Hollywood remains a steadfast beacon of progressive values and unwavering advocacy for LGBTQ rights,” he said. “Hosting the WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD reaffirms our City’s legacy of championing inclusivity and equality.”
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Friday Night at OUTLOUD will precede the organization’s ticketed Pride event, OUTLOUD Music Festival at WeHo Pride on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2. Pop superstar Kylie Minogue will serve as Saturday’s headliner, while Janelle Monáe and Diplo will close out the event with headlining sets on Sunday.
Check out the official lineup for WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD below:
Following Coachella’s two consecutive weekends, the grounds of the Empire Polo Club naturally looked a bit different for Stagecoach. The annual country music festival (also promoted by Goldenvoice that launched in 2007) took place April 26-28 and hosted headliners Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen. Not only had the previously green grass been matted […]
Jelly Roll was full of surprises at Stagecoach 2024.
During his wild evening set on the country music festival‘s opening day Friday (April 26), the “Need a Favor” singer welcomed numerous unexpected guests onto the stage, including T-Pain, Ernest and Maddie & Tae.
Jelly Roll’s performance took place on the T-Mobile Mane Stage at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif., shortly before Eric Church’s headlining slot.
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Halfway through his 50-minute set, Jelly Roll was joined by T-Pain for their cover of Toby Keith‘s hit song “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” The pair dropped a recorded version of the cover for Amazon Music a day earlier. The country star shared his thoughts on the classic track leading up to the music fest.
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“I had been covering ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy’ for about a year now at most of my shows, just kind of honoring Toby as he was getting sick before he passed away,” Jelly Roll told Variety. “Then I really started chewing on, man, what better place to honor Toby than Stagecoach? Plus, Toby Keith was one of the artists that from afar, even though he would never have known it, encouraged me to do country music.”
Funds raised from the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” cover will go toward the Toby Keith Foundation, which aids pediatric cancer patients. Keith died earlier this year following a battle with stomach cancer.
Elsewhere during his Stagecoach set, Jelly Roll welcomed collaborator Ernest for a performance of “Son of a Sinner,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2022. Jelly Roll was also joined by Maddie & Tae on what he called a brand new song titled “Liar.” The country duo will perform their own set on Saturday (April 27).
Jelly Roll ended his performance by bringing out his wife, Bunnie XO, and daughter, Bailee Ann, is turning 16 years old. To celebrate her birthday next week, the country star asked the thousands of fans to join him in singing happy birthday.
Earlier in the day, Jelly Roll visited celebrity chef Guy Fieri at the Smokehouse Cooking Demo stage for a cooking lesson.
Stagecoach continues with headlining performances by Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen, as well as sets by Elle King, Post Malone, Willie Nelson, Hardy and Bailey Zimmerman, among many others. The festival is streaming live on Prime Video or Amazon Music’s Twitch channel.
Fans have been speculating that Beyoncé could be making a surprise appearance at Stagecoach under the name “DJ Backwoods Barbie,” an unknown performer listed on the roster. Backwoods Barbie happens to be the name of a Dolly Parton album and Bey collaborated with Parton on Cowboy Carter.
Lana Del Rey was joined by surprise guest Camila Cabello during her weekend two performance at Coachella 2024.
During her headlining set on Friday night (April 19), the “Summertime Sadness” songstress welcomed Cabello to the stage to sing her new track “I Luv It.”
After Del Rey temporarily left the stage following a performance of “Bartender,” Cabello emerged with backup dancers for a lively delivery of her hyper-pop collab with Playboi Carti (who didn’t make an appearance at the Indio. Calif., festival).
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Del Rey mostly watched with admiration, but joined in on some of the verses and at one point placed her hands on Cabello’s waist and playfully spun her around.
“I luv it, I luv it, I luv it, I luv it,” Del Rey sang to Fifth Harmony alum after she closed the song. “This is my girl. I have so much fun with her. I love this song to death. Thank you so much, angel, for coming to sing with me.”
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Cabello replied, ”This is an honor me, you’re one of my favorite artists of all time. Thank you so much.”
In late March, prior to the release of “I Luv It,” Del Rey showed some love for the energetic single on social media. “i luv it,” the singer-songwriter captioned black-and-white photos of the “Senorita” singer on Instagram. Cabello took to the comments section of the post, leaving a series of crown emojis.
Del Rey’s weekend two performance at Coachella follows her guest-filled set at the popular music fest’s opening day on April 12. During the performance, she welcomed Jon Batiste for “Candy Necklace,” Jack Antonoff for “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing,” and duetted with Billie Eilish on “Ocean Eyes” and “Video Games.”
Del Rey’s roughly 90-minute Coachella set last weekend also boasted some truly stunning set design, a bizarrely alluring hologram moment, her trademark sultry vocals, a generous helping of faded glamour and even some stripper pole twirling by the singer herself for good measure.
Check out a video of Del Rey and Cabello singing “I Luv It” at Coachella 2024 via TMZ.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicked off its first of two weekends on April 12 to 14, and as expected, this year’s star-studded lineup brought the heat to their performances. Notably, No Doubt reunited to perform for the first time in nine years on Saturday night (April 13), delivering a mix of their most […]
Grimes is apologizing for her set at Coachella 2024.
On Sunday morning (April 14), the 36-year-old musician took to social media to share a lengthy statement about the “technical issues” during her Sahara tent performance at the Indio, Calif., music festival on Saturday night.
“I want to apologize for the technical issues with the show tonight. I wanted to come back rly strong and usually I always handle every aspect of my show myself – to save time this was one of the first times I’ve outsourced essential things like rekordbox bpm’s and letting someone else organize the tracks on the sd card etc.,” Grimes began her message on X (formerly Twitter).
“i had a bad feeling beforehand not having run everything thru the cdjs myself and tho I flagged it I wasn’t insistent. the big lesson for me was a mix of 1 if u want it done right, do it yrself 2 be a c–t even if ppl feel bad 3 probably pretend it’s fine and engage w the crowd rather than spend a whole show slumped over the desk trying to fix software when ur meant to be entertaining.”
At about the halfway point of her 50-minute set, Grimes was forced to restart “Music 4 Machines” multiple times because the track was playing at double the speed.
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“This s— always f—ing happens, all my tracks are twice as fast so I’m not mixing very well, so I’m going to keep trying, and I appreciate you being here,” she told the crowd. “There has never been a Grimes show without a major technical difficulty. But yes, it will continue.”
Fan-captured video of Grimes’ Coachella set shows her yelling out in frustration over the “major technical difficulties” during the performance.
In her statement on X, she continued, “I will personally organize all the files next week. I will not let such a thing happen again. I’ve spent months on this show, making music and visuals, and admittedly am not in the best mood atm … But, yeh – next week will be flawless, everything will run thru my hands.”
Grimes closed her note, writing, “Some good lessons learned. Bless y’all. The cdjs were showing me bpms like 370 so I couldn’t even mix manually by ear and the front monitors were off so it was literally sonic chaos on my end trying to guess how stuff was sounding for u guys … Plz forgive me! Love, always.”
Day three of Coachella continues on Sunday (April 14) with performances by Doja Cat, J Balvin, Jhené Aiko, Lil Yachty, and many more.
See Grimes’ Coachella apology on X below.
I want to apologize for the technical issues with the show tonight. I wanted to come back rly strong and usually I always handle every aspect of my show myself – to save time this was one of the first times I’ve outsourced essential things like rekordbox bpm’s and letting…— 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 ⏳ (@Grimezsz) April 14, 2024
This summer’s edition of the Rocklahoma festival will feature headlining slots from Avenged Sevenfold (Friday night), Disturbed (Saturday night) and Slipknot (Sunday night) in what promoters are calling the event’s biggest lineup to date. The three-day hard rock fest, which will run from August 30-Sept. 1 at the Rockin Red Dirt Ranch in Pryor, Oklahoma, will also feature headlining sets from Evanesence, A Day to Remember, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Skillet, Mastodon, a reunited Anthrax, Clutch, Kerry King, Coal Chamber and others.
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Tickets for the 2024 Rocklahoma festival will go on sale on Friday (April 5) beginning at 11 a.m. ET here; weekend VIP, GA passes, as well as camping and glamping passes will all be available at that time, with passes starting at $10 or 10% down on layaway. Others acts on tap for the festival include: Badflower, Pop Evil, Giovannie & the Hired Guns, Bad Wolves, Tom Keifer, Winger, Faster Pussycat, Vixen, Set It Off, The Warning, Kim Dracula, Austin Meade, Oxymorrons, Holy Wars, Enuff Z’Nuff, Atomic Punks and many more.
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“Rocklahoma is a call to arms, a celebration of not only music but also of our differences and what makes us all the same,” Lzzy Hale of Halestorm said in a release announcing the lineup. “We are so grateful to be returning to the stage, and cannot wait to see our old friends, and welcome the new ones into our Rock ’n Roll family!”
Check out the full roster for the 2024 Rocklahoma festival in the concert poster below.
If you’re a fan of the Beatles (and who isn’t?) and have well over half-a-million dollars to spare (who doesn’t?!) you may want to grab a ticket to ride to the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, which returns to Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory from April 4-7. Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
