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In 1980, when Shaun Cassidy sold 50,000 seats at the Houston Astrodome, he couldn’t know that he would be embarking on the longest tour of his career 45 years later.
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On Sept. 13, the former pop idol and actor will kick off the 50-city The Road to US outing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
“The truth is, in my whole career I never really toured — because as a kid, I was working on The Hardy Boys, [TV show] so I’d go out on weekends, and then I got a week here or two weeks there in the summer,” Cassidy tells Billboard. “But this tour that I’m starting will be the biggest commitment of 50 shows and more to come I’ve ever had in my life.”
Cassidy, following in the entertainment footsteps of his half-brother, David Cassidy, and parents, Oscar-winning actress Shirley Jones and Tony-winning actor Jack Cassidy, burst onto the pop scene in 1976 with “That’s Rock ‘n Roll.” The breakthrough hit reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was followed by his chart-topping cover of The Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “Hey Deanie,” which reached No. 7.
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Cassidy released five studio albums between 1977 and 1980 on Curb/Warner Bros. including the Todd Rundgren-produced Wasp. Simultaneously, he also was acting on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, which ran from 1977-1979. Cassidy then focused on the stage, appearing in plays on Broadway and London’s West End during the ‘80s and early ’90, before segueing into behind-the-scenes TV work in the mid-‘90s.
Since then, he has had an extremely successful second career creating, writing and and/or producing such acclaimed television series as American Gothic, Cold Case, Cover Me, The Agency and, most recently, New Amsterdam.
He has also toured sporadically since 2020 as a one-man show that expanded to a full band, ending with five sold-out nights at 54 Below in New York City in 2023. But those outings were not as extensive as the forthcoming one, which he almost felt called to do.
“Honestly, the reason I’m really motivated to do this is I have such a feeling that if you are in a position in any way to be a catalyst for bringing people together in a room or a concert hall or a church or your kitchen table, in any context, gathering people, getting them to put down their phone for a minute and actually look at each other and connect and have a shared experience is just so important at this at this stage in our world, I think,” he says.
The new show is a tribute to music, his family and his fans. “It’s really a love letter to our shared history and experience,” he says. “I feel the disconnection and the sadness tied to the disconnection so profoundly, especially with younger people who didn’t grow up without social media, and the mislead of social media that it will somehow connect you further, when the opposite is proven to be true.”
Cassidy isn’t going so far as to declare his shows a no-phone zone, but he does ask fans to put their phones down — “because I want to see their faces,” he says.
Though he hasn’t released an album since 1980, the concerts will include new songs. “That’s the wonderful gift of performing again,” he says. “It inspired me to start writing songs, which I hadn’t been doing for decades while I’ve been writing hundreds of television scripts.”
The songs he’ll debut were written specifically for the show. “They are songs that underscore a story I might be telling about me or my family or about the audience, or about an experience I had back in the day or am having now,” he says, adding he’s written about 20 new songs.
Cassidy hasn’t recorded any of the songs for release and admits he is not thinking about that. “I guess I could sell new songs like t-shirts on my website or something, but, honestly, I’m so far away from how the music business works now,” he says. “My [old] songs are on Spotify, and I get five cents every month or whatever, but if I did it, it would really just be for me and for any fan that wants a new song. Maybe I will.”
He does add that Rundgren came to one of his shows in 2023 “and actually Todd and I talked about working together again — at that show anyway. But I haven’t followed up because I’ve been too busy with TV stuff. But who knows?”
The tour, which was booked by UTA, will allow Cassidy and his band a little sightseeing in between gigs. He plans to play around 12 shows a month and in-between will take advantage of the highlights of whatever region he’s in. “We’ll do four shows and take three days off, hike the Appalachian Trail, visit Washington, D.C., do whatever touristy things we want to do,” he says. He also needs to leave time to continue work on a number of television projects he has in development.
Between geographic segments of the tour, he will then come back home to his wife and four children in Santa Barbara, Calif., and tend to the wine they produce, My First Crush, which donates a portion of its proceeds to No Kid Hungry, which feeds hungry children nationwide.
“I’ll need to take a break,” he says. “One of the benefits of not having toured or sung other than around my own home piano for years and years is my voice is stronger than it was when I was 20 because I never tore it up. And I don’t want to tear it up now.”
Also, because he has played live so infrequently, he hasn’t burnt out on playing his hits thousands of times. “They’re fresh. I go out and I’m singing ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ with more passion than I ever sang it when I was 17,” he says. “I know there’s a lot of performers that have resentment about these songs that made them successful, and I guess if you’ve sung the song 10,000 times, you might get sick of it. I don’t have that experience at all. I can’t wait to sing these songs.”
He’s also appreciative that this time he’s not singing over thousands of shrieking fans. “My early shows were just scream-a-thons, I couldn’t talk to anybody,” he says. “Now I actually can engage with people and look them in the eye and see that they’ve had a life, and I’ve had a life, and I’m just so grateful to share it.”
The Road to US tour dates (more to come):
9/13 Nashville/Grand Ole Opry
9/17 Waterville ME/Waterville Opera House
9/19 Beverly MA/ Cabot Theater
9/25 Glenside PA/The Keswick
9/26 Seneca NY/Niagara Falls – The Bear’s Den
9/27 Seneca NY/Niagara Falls – The Bear’s Den
9/28 Verona NY/Turning Stone Resort Casino
10/16 Hopewell, VA/The Beacon
10/17 Alexandria, VA/The Birchmere
10/18 Annapolis, MD/Ram’s Head
10/19 Rocky Mount VA/The Harvester
10/23 Peekskill NY/Paramount Hudson Valley Arts
10/24 Newton NJ/The Newton Theater
10/25 Norfolk CT/Infinity Hall
10/26 Bethlehem PA/Art’s Quest
11/5 Milwaukee WI/The Pabst Theater
11/7 Des Plaines IL/The Des Plaines Theatre
11/8 St. Charles IL/The Arcada
11/9 Burnsville MN/Ames Center
11/11 Shipshewana IN/The Blue Gate
11/13 Nashville IN/Brown County Music Center
11/14 Cincinnati OH/Ludlow’s
11/15 Columbus OH/The Southern
11/16 Akron OH/The Goodyear Theater
12/4 Detroit MI/The Fisher Theater
12/5 Warren OH/Robin’s Theater
12/6 Munhall PA/Carnegie Hall Library
12/11 Orlando FL/The Plaza Live
12/12 Clearwater FL/Capitol Theater
12/13 Ponte Vedra FL/Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
1/8 Austin TX/Paramount Theater
1/9 Dallas TX/The Granada Theater
1/10 Houston TX/House of Blues
1/16 Napa CA/Uptown Theater
1/17 Riverside CA/The Fox
1/18 El Cajon CA/Magnolia
23-year-old street performer Jourdan Blue has found himself an instant national fanbase with his emotional audition for the season 20 premiere of NBC’s America’s Got Talent on Tuesday (May 27).
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Blue’s performance of The Script‘s “Breakeven” was one filled with tears and triumph, with the young father’s story of overcoming adversity and terror adding to the euphoria that accompanied his Golden Buzzer-worthy performance.
Per Blue’s own account, he’s a street performer from New Orleans who spends most of his nights performing into the wee small hours in order to support his girlfriend and young son, Jax.
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“Growing up, my mom was a cop, my dad was a lawyer, so naturally I was a rebel,” he explained to the judges ahead of his performance. “I kind of got myself into some trouble and ended up living with my grandpa and he’s a big music listener and that inspired me to get into it.
“I started street performing in New Orleans because I really wanted to just fully dive into it. As you might remember, at the beginning of the year, there was an attack on New Orleans, right on the exact block where I perform.
“It made me realize that there’s so much more to live for,” he added. “That’s what made me choose AGT. I feel like this is the best way to level up.”
Immediately leveling up with the crowd as he dove into his performance of The Script’s 2008 hit, Blue’s unique voice instantly won over the crowd as it became clear that even the judges were immensely impressed by his rendition.
“I think you are somebody [who] maybe lost their way a little bit, but like you said, through music [you have] now found your way,” explained judge Simon Cowell. “You have such a distinctive voice, you are so cool, and you feed off the audience. They love you and how you made me feel just then was actually amazing.”
“This is season 20,” added fellow judge Howie Mandel. “I’ve seen dreams come true, and I’ve seen lives change right where you’re standing. And that stage and that moment can take you anywhere, and this is just the beginning of where you can go.
“I think you’re a star,” Mandel told Blue after hitting the Golden Buzzer. “I think your name is gonna be on the lips of everybody watching this across the globe.”
Blue was one of two acts to receive the Golden Buzzer on the May 27 episode, with Brazilian dance group Light Wire also receiving the same honor from Cowell.
Watch Blue’s full performance below:
It was fitting for Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez to hit the stage at Monday’s American Music Awards at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau, since both have found a second home in Sin City. Jackson has a current residency at Resorts World, which kicked off in December and has dates scheduled through September. Lopez is returning to […]
SZA is giving props to Tate McRae after she covered “F2F” from SZA’s SOS album. On her Instagram Story Tuesday (May 27), the “Kill Bill” musician reposted a video of the Canadian pop star singing the track during a pre-show soundcheck in Paris. Though the original song finds SZA belting angsty lyrics over head-banging electric […]
Lorde is getting ready to ask some tough questions on her new single “Man of the Year,” which the singer announced is coming out Wednesday (May 28) while dropping a music video teaser on Instagram.
In a clip from the visual posted one day prior to the track’s release, a topless Lorde spins around in a swivel chair and looks down at her bare chest. “Who’s gonna love me like this?” she sings in a snippet of the song. “Who could get me like this, when he flow down through me?”
“M.O.T.Y. Tomorrow late New York time,” the New Zealand native captioned the post. “Written in blood.”
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The teaser comes more than a week after Lorde first announced that “Man of the Year” would serve as the second single from June-slated album Virgin, following lead track “What Was That,” which dropped in April. In her recent Rolling Stone cover story, the Grammy winner shared that she wrote “Man of the Year” about her own broadening gender identity, which she says fell into place after she stopped taking oral contraceptives.
“I felt like stopping taking my birth control, I had cut some sort of cord between myself and this regulated femininity,” she told the publication. “It sounds crazy, but I felt that all of a sudden, I was off the map of femininity. And I totally believed that that allowed things to open up.”
Just before writing “Man of the Year” — which Lorde has also said is her “favorite” track on Virgin — the star taped her chest down with duct tape in an effort to realize a vision of herself “that was fully representative of how [her] gender felt in that moment,” she told Rolling Stone. She appears that way on the cover art for “Man of the Year,” wearing nothing but the silver tape and a pair of jeans.
Elsewhere in the interview, Lorde confirmed that she still uses “she” and “her” pronouns, but some days feels more like a man than a woman. “[Chappell Roan] asked me this … She was like, ‘So, are you nonbinary now?’” she recalled to the publciation. “I was like, ‘I’m a woman except for the days when I’m a man.’ I know that’s not a very satisfying answer, but there’s a part of me that is really resistant to boxing it up.”
See Lorde’s “Man of the Year” teaser below.
Tiësto tells us all about his collab with Sexyy Red and Kaskade talks about what it’s like to perform at EDC festival 2025. we also run down the highlights from Suenos Festival and Bottle Rock, all presented by Amazon Prime. From the blasting beats of EDM in Vegas to hot Latin sounds in Chicago and […]
Since its release, Teddy Swims‘ breakthrough hit has never once lost control over its place on the Billboard Hot 100. And this week, “Lose Control” became the song with the longest-ever run on the U.S. singles chart, something the musician celebrated on Instagram Tuesday (May 27).
Sharing the news on his Story, an excited Swims began by simply saying, “Let’s go!!!!!!”
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The star also wrote that the feat was achieved “BY GOD” before shouting out Warner Records CEO and co-chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck. “FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR YOUR STEADY GRACE LOVE AND LEADERSHIP,” the musician gushed.
Swims’ accomplishment comes about two years after he first released “Lose Control” in June 2023, with the track later appearing on his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1). On the Hot 100 listing dated May 23, 2025, the hit logs its 92nd week on the chart, surpassing Glass Animals’ prior record for most weeks spent on the ranking with “Heat Waves.”
“Lose Control” also now holds the record for longest stay in the chart’s top 10, logging its 63rd week in the echelon.
“When it was finished, I was showing everybody before the song came out,” the Georgia native reflected on writing the song to Billboard in 2023. “I just felt that energy, like, ;This is lighting in a bottle.’ I knew this was going to change my life.”
In addition to collecting new records, Swims also got some new ink this week. The day prior to his chart feat, the star shared a video on his Story of himself at a tattoo parlor, where an artist stenciled on a portrait of none other than Joe Dirt, the mullet-sporting janitor played by David Spade in the 2001 film of the same name.
Swims is fresh off of the January release of his new album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. He’s currently on tour in support of the LP, with his next shows set for Radio City Music Hall in New York City on May 27 and 28.
When SEVENTEEN debuted on May 26th, 2015, all odds were stacked against the group. Formed by relatively small label Pledis Entertainment (acquired by HYBE in 2020), the 13-piece ensemble faced an uphill battle in the competitive K-pop scene — not the least because of their humble origins and unusually large lineup. “It feels like it […]
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains the biggest song in the world, as it notches a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and a third week atop Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen adds two Global 200 top 10s, led by “What I Want,” featuring Tate McRae, from his new album, I’m the Problem, which launches at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200 with the year’s biggest week by equivalent album units. Plus, JIN’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” debuts in the top 10 of both global surveys, as the BTS member’s parent album Echo starts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
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Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Ordinary” leads the Global 200 with 69.7 million streams (up 1% week-over-week) and 11,000 sold (down 5%) worldwide May 16-22.
“Die With a Smile” holds at No. 2 on the Global 200, after 18 weeks at No. 1 starting last September (second only to the 19 weeks at No. 1 for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” since the chart began); ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” repeats at No. 3, after 12 weeks at No. 1 starting in November; and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” keeps at No. 4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August.
Wallen’s “What I Want,” featuring McRae, debuts at No. 5 on the Global 200 with 39.3 million streams and 2,000 sold worldwide. Plus, his “Just in Case” hits the top 10 for the first time, at No. 9 (surging from No. 56), with 32.1 million streams (up 83%) and 3,000 sold (up 53%) worldwide. Wallen ups his count to five career Global 200 top 10s and McRae, two; her “Greedy” led the list for two weeks in November-December 2023.
Also in the Global 200’s top 10, JIN’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” enters at No. 7 (42.8 million streams, 32,000 sold worldwide). Here’s an updated count of BTS members’ Global 200 top 10 totals as soloists: Jung Kook (five); Jimin, JIN (three each); V (two); and Suga (one). BTS boasts 11 top 10s as a group.
“Ordinary” crowns Global Excl. U.S. with 50.4 million streams (up 3%) and 5,000 sold (down 5%) outside the U.S.
“Die With a Smile” is steady at No. 2 after 17 weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. starting last September. Only “APT.,” which holds at No. 3, has led longer: 19 weeks, beginning in November. “Birds of a Feather” is likewise stationary, at No. 4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August.
Meanwhile, JIN’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” enters Global Excl. U.S. at No. 5 (38.9 million streams, 19,000 sold worldwide). Here’s an updated rundown of BTS members’ Global Excl. U.S. top 10 totals as soloists: Jung Kook (seven); Jimin (five); JIN, V (four each); and j-hope and Suga (one each). BTS has banked 11 top 10s as a group.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated May 31, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, May 27 (one day later than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S. May 26). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
The 2025 American Music Awards saw some of the world’s biggest stars flock to Las Vegas Monday night (May 26), with many of them delivering show-stopping performances in between presentations of awards that the internet is still talking about the next day. The first of those showcases came at the very beginning of the ceremony, […]
