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After a 28-city international leg that included London’s O2 and Dublin’s 3Arena, stand-up comedian, actor and writer Shane Gillis announced the extension of his Shane Gillis Live tour to 10 additional U.S. cities on Tuesday (May 13).
The new dates — which have been scheduled in July, August and September — will take Gillis to arenas in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Milwaukee; Houston; Hollywood, Fla.; and Orlando, Fla.
Representatives for Gillis said in an announcement that the added performances, which will be promoted by Outback Presents, come in response to “a staggering demand for tickets across the U.S., Canada and European dates,” adding that Gillis has “set the all-time ticket sales record at six arenas,” including Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and achieved historic sellouts at 11 more, including Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., marking each of the venue’s largest comedy shows ever.
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Gillis, who hails from Mechanicsburg, Pa., and is lifelong avid Notre Dame University football fan — his grandfather and cousin played for the team, and he appeared in an Under Armour commercial for the blue and gold — is slated to co-headline the stadium there with Zach Bryan and Dermot Kennedy on Sept. 6. If that show sells out, it will surpass the world record for the largest single-show attendance for a comedian in history. (Gillis does not report box-office results to Billboard Boxscore.1
Gillis has emerged as a comedy phenomenon over the last five years, despite being hired as a Saturday Night Live cast member in 2019 and then dismissed before the season began after examples of him using racist language on podcasts. He has since become a touring behemoth, the Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast he hosts with comedian Matt McCusker consistently ranks in the top 15 of Spotify’s U.S. Comedy charts, and on June 5, the second season of his series, Tires, will debut on Netflix. He has also hosted SNL twice — in 2024 and 2025.
Artist presale sign-up and tickets are available on Shane Gillis’ website.
Patreon presale will begin Tuesday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. CT
Artist presale will begin Wednesday, May 14, at 10 a.m. local
General on sale begins Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m. local
Shane Gillis
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The party don’t stop for Kesha‘s biggest hit, “Tik Tok,” which has remained one of the most popular songs from the late 2000s more than a decade later. But according to the pop star, she originally thought the track was “too dumb” when she first wrote it.
While serving as a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show Tuesday (May 13), Kesha recalled being blown away by the success of “Tik Tok” after it dropped in 2009. “No, oh my god,” she said when asked whether she ever expected it to become such a big hit.
“When I was writing ‘Tik Tok,’ it was weird, because the dumber it got, the better it got,” the “Praying” singer continued. “Which was confusing, because I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent human being. But it just got dumber and dumber and better and better.”
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Kesha added, “When I listened to the final product, I was like, ‘This is too dumb.’”
Regardless, there was nothing dumb about what the track would do for her career. “Tik Tok” would launch the California native to superstar status, becoming not just her first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry, but her first No. 1 on the chart. It would also remain in the top spot for nine weeks, her longest run at the chart’s summit, and helped Kesha’s first album, Animal, debut atop the Billboard 200.
Fifteen years later, the musician is gearing up to release her sixth studio album, . (Period), her first LP under her own label, Kesha Records. Her departure from Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records — the founder of which also produced much of Animal — comes after a yearslong legal battle with Dr. Luke over Kesha’s claims that he drugged and raped her in 2005, after which he sued her for defamation while calling the allegations “false and shocking.” Their ensuing legal battle continued for nine years before the two parties finally reached a settlement in 2023.
Of finally getting to release music fully on her own terms, Kesha told Hudson, “I’m really excited for the world to hear this, because I’ve been in control of everything.”
“It’s been all of my vision, all of my words, a lot of hard work, a lot of joy,” she continued, tearing up. “Really coming back home to myself and feeling what freedom really looks like, feels like, sounds like.”
Watch Kesha’s conversation with Hudson below.
If you’ve ever been to a Twenty One Pilots show you are well aware that the bond between the group and their fans is beyond tight. Aside from the sing-alongs, the costumes and the overall loving, supportive spirit, there is the trusting act on their current world tour of singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh […]
Palm Tree Festival is touching down in France this summer.
The festival, produced by Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew, will throw its first St. Tropez edition on July 26. The show on the French Riviera will be headlined by A$AP Rocky and Swedish House Mafia, with the lineup also featuring Sammy Virji, Cassian, Cruz, Lubo Hang, Xandra and Roman Cleiss. Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, May 16.
Previous editions of Palm Tree Festival have happened in a laundry list of high-end locations including Hawaii, Australia, Aspen, Lake Tahoe and the Hamptons. Event organizers note that additional European editions of the event will be announced “soon.”
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“As we continue to grow Palm Tree Music Festival globally, St. Tropez marks a monumental step in our expansion into Europe,” says Myles Shear, the co-founder of Palm Tree Crew and Kygo’s longtime manager. “We’re bringing the best of Palm Tree Crew — music, travel, and entertainment — to one of the most beautiful destinations in the world, and kicking off what’s to be an amazing European run.”
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In addition to Palm Tree Festival, Kygo and Shear also opened a brick and mortar Palm Tree Club in Miami late last year, with both the festival and the resort further establishing the duo’s vision of Palm Tree Club as a lifestyle brand. In 2022, the pair told Billboard about how they’re basing this model on Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville empire of music, bars, resorts and events.
“He created so many areas where [his fans] can come together — it doesn’t even need to be at his shows. It can be at his hotel or a Margaritaville bar,” Kygo said of Buffet. “That’s what we’re trying to create: something that’s bigger than the music. A community, a movement.”
Kelly Clarkson has a simple message to her human resources department: she’s happier than ever and quit telling her to shut up about it. According to People, during her show at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday (May 10), the singer took a moment during the gig to chat with an audience member who praised her “sexy” appearance.
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Clarkson, 43, said she appreciated the compliment, but noted that she has had a hard time complimenting other people’s looks on the set of her eponymous NBC daytime talk show because HR keeps telling her it’s not appropriate.
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“Every time I go to an HR meeting, I’m like, ‘How have I not been fired?’ I grew up on the road at 19 years old, you know what I’m saying? I’m like, ‘Oh, that is inappropriate. I would never,’” she said of the conversations. Last May on her show, Clarkson and Whoopi Goldberg bonded over their use of the prescription medication Ozempic for weight loss, with Kelly saying she’s lost a “lot” of weight on the drug.
“But they also say you’re not allowed to say someone looks attractive, and I say f–k that,” Clarkson told the crowd. “Because some of those b–ches are out here working, and we’re trying, and I want every motherf–ker that passes me to go, ‘Damn. Well done.’” To be fair, Clarkson added, she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with anyone’s bodies, whatever shape, telling her fans that she felt “very confident” at her previous weight.
“I felt fine both ways, but I’m just saying it’s a lot more fun with clothes now. And I’ve been working on it,” she said. According to People, she thanked the fan for the compliment and quipped that she will “not be calling HR” about their interaction. “It is not a joke. I know HR is not a joke, but it is really funny some of the things they talk about,” she said. “And we’re like, ‘Oh no. We would never.’”
The Saturday show was one of two she played in Atlantic City, where, during the Friday night gig she lamented to the audience that she is bummed she can’t tour like she used to due to the schedule of her TV show. “We haven’t done a show in a while, y’all, ’cause I have a talk show. It’s like a whole other job,” said Clarkson, who has not mounted a full tour since 2019. “We are bummed ’cause we love doing shows, and it’s hard to fit it in, so it’s cool when it does work out with the schedule. And it’s cool to get to see your faces and feed off y’all. Thank you so much for having so much energy.”
Ed Sheeran has found yet another novel way to promote his upcoming Play album. After opening a pop-up pub in Ipswich, MA and encouraging fans to share archival messages and videos from their “Old Phone” and recording several international takes on the album’s first single, “Azizam,” the singer dialed up a new clever idea over […]
Janet Jackson will receive the ICON Award at the 2025 American Music Awards, which will air live from Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. The 11-time American Music Awards winner will also perform on the show, marking her first television performance since 2018.
There have been two previous recipients of the ICON Award: Rihanna in 2013 and Lionel Richie in 2022. The honor is bestowed upon an artist whose music has had undeniable cultural and global influence over the music industry. Jackson received a similar award, the Ultimate Icon Award, at the 2015 BET Awards.
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This year’s American Music Awards will kick off summer with host Jennifer Lopez, who is also set to perform on the show. The 51st AMAs will air live coast-to-coast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS, and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.
Jackson, 58, has been a recording star since 1982, when her debut album was released on A&M. She has amassed 10 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and seven No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
She’s also set to kick off yet another leg of her popular Las Vegas residency, JANET JACKSON: LAS VEGAS, returning to the Resorts World Theatre stage on May 21 for a six-show run through May 31.
Jackson has won five Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination for best original song, along with multiple MTV Video Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards.
Jackson has set many Billboard chart records over the years. Her 1986 album Control was the first by a woman to yield five top 10 hits on the Hot 100. Her 1989 album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 is, to this day, the only album to generate seven top five hits on the Hot 100. Her 1993 album janet tallied six top 10 hits on the Hot 100, making her the first artist to notch five or more top 10s on the Hot 100 from three different albums.
Jackson stands as one of only four artists to have a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s, ’90s, ’00s and ’10s — alongside Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and U2.
In 2019, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (with Janelle Monáe doing the honors), joining her brothers, The Jackson 5, who were inducted in 1997. Michael Jackson received a solo induction in 2001.
Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s American Music Awards nominations with 10 nods, followed by Post Malone with eight; and Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey with seven each.
Fan voting for the 2025 American Music Awards is now open via VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile in all award categories. Voting closes Thursday, May 15, at 11:59:59 p.m. PT, with the exception of collaboration of the year and social song of the year, which will remain open for web voting through the first 30 minutes of the AMAs broadcast.
The American Music Awards is the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. The show is produced by Dick Clark Productions and will broadcast globally across linear and digital platforms.
This Memorial Day, the AMAs will pay special tribute to U.S. troops and veterans.
The AMAs and Easy Day Foundation, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit organization committed to helping Veterans transition to civilian life, will partner to present several special in-show moments that celebrate veterans while raising funds for a variety of national and local organizations. The American Music Awards x Easy Day moments will include two performances and the presentation of a special award honoring a marquee talent who uses their platform to make meaningful contributions to the veteran community, as well as inspirational stories from active-duty service members and veterans.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Tina Arena was forced to pause her Melbourne concert on Friday (May 10) after a physical altercation broke out near the front of the stage at the Palais Theatre, prompting security to intervene and the singer to directly address the crowd.
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The incident took place during Arena’s Don’t Ask Again 30th Anniversary Tour, where she was performing material from across her decades-long career. According to reports from 7News and the Herald Sun, the disruption began when a man and a woman began shouting at each other, with the woman reportedly punching and kicking audience members around her.
Arena halted the show immediately after noticing the commotion. “Darling, you need to leave the show,” she told the disruptive concertgoer before addressing the rest of the audience.
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“Ladies and gentlemen, if we could please just have some calm in this hall, I would really, really appreciate it,” she said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in 50 years.”
The concert paused as venue security escorted the parties involved out of the venue. Witnesses said the woman resisted, at one point reportedly throwing herself to the ground and yelling at guards not to touch her. Arena remained onstage, refusing to resume the show until the situation was fully handled.
“If there’s something that needs to be discussed, please do it outside. I won’t commence the show until this is the case,” she told the crowd.
Entertainment reporter Peter Ford described the moment as “startling” during a segment on Australian breakfast show Sunrise, adding, “It’s not what you expect at a Tina Arena concert. But she stayed composed and was resolute in getting control of the room.”
The disruption came just one night after another unexpected moment on Arena’s tour. During her Thursday (May 9) performance at the same venue, the singer paused mid-show to reprimand audience members for leaving to use the restroom.
“Back in my day, you wouldn’t leave to go to the toilet unless you were sh—ing your pants,” Arena said from the stage, drawing gasps and laughs from the crowd.
Arena is currently touring nationally to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her 1994 breakthrough album Don’t Ask, which was certified 10-times Platinum in Australia and included hits such as Billboard Top 50 single “Chains,” “Sorrento Moon (I Remember),” and “Wasn’t It Good.” The tour continues this week with shows across Queensland.
Arena has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Irish hip hop act Kneecap will still be headlining Wide Awake Festival 2025 as planned, the festival has announced. It will mark the band’s first show since they performed at Coachella last month.
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The news arrives following a period of intense scrutiny on the West Belfast trio in the weeks after Coachella. At the end of their sets, Kneecap displayed messages on the war in Gaza, writing: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”
The group went on to face criticism from a number of industry figures including Sharon Osbourne, who called for their U.S. visas to be retracted. A group of politicians, meanwhile, called for Kneecap to be removed from a series of U.K. festival line-ups this summer.
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Scrutiny continued when counter-terror police in London announced (May 1) an investigation into videos of band members allegedly calling for the death of elected British MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” The group have since gone on to issue a statement to their Instagram account: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay,” it read in part.
Consequently, German headline shows in Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin for this summer have been pulled, alongside previously-announced appearances at Hurricane and Southside Festivals. A night at the Eden Project, Cornwall, was also cancelled last month but has since been replaced with three new dates in the nearby city of Plymouth, south west England.
Wide Awake have now shared a statement across their social media platforms confirming Kneecap’s headline performance is still slated to go ahead next week (May 23). “After positive discussions with key stakeholders, Wide Awake Festival can confirm that, as planned, Kneecap will be performing at this year’s festival on Friday May 23 at Brockwell Park,” it began.
“Wide Awake has a proud history of supporting the alternative music scene, and we look forward to staging another unforgettable event showcasing the very best emerging and established talent.”
The post also featured a lengthy signatory list of artists sharing their support for Kneecap and the “freedom of expression,” featuring names such as Pulp, Fontaines D.C., Primal Scream, Massive Attack, Self Esteem and Amyl and The Sniffers, among others.
Other acts set to perform at Wide Awake, which takes place in Brockwell Park, south London, include English Teacher, CMAT, Peaches, Fat Dog and more. Tickets and the full line-up can be found on the event’s official website.
The full lineup for Olivia Rodrigo’s headline show at London’s BST Hyde Park series has been announced.
The huge outdoor gig will take place in the capital on June 27, two days before the pop phenomenon’s much-anticipated Glastonbury headline slot. She will be joined by special guests Girl In Red and The Last Dinner Party, who were confirmed for the gig last November.
Today (May 13), eight more support acts have been added to the bill: Flowerovlove, Caity Baser, Between Friends, Florence Road, Katie Gregson-Macleod, Ruti, Aziya and Déyyess.
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Irish band Florence Road came to prominence on TikTok last year, where they shared covers of contemporary pop songs including their takes on Rodrigo’s “Obsessed” and “Making The Bed.” In April, the four-piece released an acoustic ballad entitled “Anxiety,” which was produced by Dan Nigro, known for his work with Rodrigo and Chappell Roan.
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Baser has enjoyed a flurry of activity in recent months. Following the release of her single “Watch That Girl (She’s Gonna Say It),” the Southampton-raised musician has completed a tour of intimate venues across the U.K. and dropped another new track, “Running From Myself.”
Singer-songwriter Gregson-Macleod is eyeing up the release of her EP Love Me Too Well, I’ll Retire Early EP in July, which will arrive via Matt Maltese’s Last Recordings On Earth label. Aziya has drip-fed a slew of singles throughout 2025, the most recent being the grungy “Diamonds,” which dropped in April.
The BST Hyde Park shows have a history of supporting emerging acts, platforming newer names in the early stages of their career. Over the past few years, the likes of Sam Fender (Bob Dylan and Neil Young, 2019), The Last Dinner Party (The Rolling Stones, 2022) and Elmiene (SZA, 2024) have performed at the festival before going on to break into the mainstream.
The other headliners for BST Hyde Park 2025 are: Zach Bryan (June 28 and 29) Noah Kahan (July 4), Sabrina Carpenter (July 5, 6), Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts (July 11), Stevie Wonder (July 12) and Jeff Lynne’s ELO (July 13). Remaining tickets can be found here.
Rodrigo unveiled her second LP Guts in 2023, which she has supported with extensive global touring. In April, she performed the largest show of her career to date at a sold-out Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, which holds a capacity of 65,000 fans.
