Music

14 Oct 2023

Madonna’s Celebration Tour Setlist: All the Songs She Sang at London Opening Night

Madonna’s hotly anticipated The Celebration Tour is finally here! The 78-date tour kicked off Saturday (Oct. 14) in London at the O2 Arena, the first of six sold-out shows.

The Queen of Pop’s 13th tour encompasses four decades of hits, iconic costumes, era-defining music videos and more. Not only did the set design take a cue from the three-layered wedding cake look of her 1984 Video Music Awards performance – one widely cited as the TV moment that catapulted her into the cultural stratosphere as a pop talent and provocateur – but the merchandise table featured numerous items recreating merch items from Madonna’s past tours.

Ahead of the show’s launch, fans (including us) were furiously speculating as to what the setlist would entail. How many of her Billboard chart hits – 12 No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 and 50 No. 1s on the Dance Club Songs chart – would appear? And would they appear in full, or in part? Would she treat fans to any deep cuts? Would we hear any songs that have never – or rarely – been performed on stage?

Well, with the first show of the Celebration Tour in the books, we finally have a sense of what to expect on this tour as it begins its 15-country run. From early hits to unexpected surprises to recent highlights of a career that’s still going strong, these are the songs that Madonna sang on the opening night of her tour. Note: Madonna did play a lot of snippets of other songs during interstitial segments — we’re talking about the ones she sang live on stage here.

Check out the setlist for Madonna’s The Celebration Tour below, based on the first night of her six dates at London’s O2 Arena.

14 Oct 2023

Israeli Festival Organizers Release First Statement After Event Massacre: ‘Unspeakable Tragedy’

The producers of Israel’s Supernova Sukkot Gathering have released their first statement following the massacre of roughly 260 attendees at the festival in Re’im, Israel, last Saturday (Oct. 7).

The festival was hosting approximately 3,000 attendees, with the lineup focused on the electronic psytrance subgenre. At around 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists entered the site by truck, motorcycle, ATV and paraglider and immediately began killing festival attendees with machine guns and RPGs. A number of attendees were also taken hostage by Hamas. (While the exact number of hostages is unknown, two people close the festival put the number at around 150.)

Today (Oct. 14), Supernova Sukkot Gathering producer Tribe of Nova posted a statement (published in both Hebrew and English) to its Facebook page. In it, organizers state that they are “working hand in hand with security forces and authorities to help find answers and bring back all that those who can return to their families and friends.”

The statement also notes that members of the Nova Tribe team have been at the site of the attack over the past week, “searching for those located in the disaster area, or other locations, recovering equipment from the site and its surroundings and, above all, ensuring the security of Israel.”

The statement continues to say that “at this moment, our production team is focused on providing the right and extensive emotional and mental support to everyone involved. This is the most important thing in this moment.”

Read the complete statement below.

Supernova Sukkot Gathering was the Israeli offshoot of the Paralello Universo festival, a psytrance festival launched in Brazil roughly 20 years ago.

Hamas attacked others areas in the region of the festival site, located near the Gaza border, on Oct. 7. Israeli has since retaliated with days of heavy bombing of Gaza, with the death toll of Palestinians rising.

Complete Statement From Nova Tribe:

“Our dear tribe of Nova, first and foremost, we want to convey our sincere and heartfelt condolences to all the families, friends, partners and couples who have lost their loved ones or have been affected by the tragic events that unfolded, following that magic night and that turned into an exceedingly heavy morning.

What was planned to be the happiest and largest electronic music festival of the Nova Tribe has turned into a scene of unspeakable tragedy, an inhumane war crime, an unprecedented violation of the most basic human values.

This is the epitome of pure and unbridled evil, the horrifying and senseless murder of countless innocent angels, whose only ‘crime’ was being Jewish and living in Israel.

It’s no wonder that these agents of darkness targets this joyous gathering of children of light, for their sole and singular purpose is to bring darkness upon the world. But we won’t let them do that!

We will keep fighting until we reach our objective adorned on our tribe’s flag: to spread light throughout the world, with the help of the holy people of Israel and the Nova Tribe.

Last Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, we were brutally attacked by hundreds of terrorists, heartless, ruthless and lacking any mercy. They murdered in cold blood hundreds of women and men, our beloved Tribe of Nova members, as well as numerous innocent Israeli civilians.

It was a heinous, terrifying, brutal massacre of innocent civilians from all over the country and the world, the best and most among us. This was [one of] the largest terrorist attack[s] in Israeli history. Taking the lives of 1,400 pure and innocent souls with over 150 remain [sic] missing, thousands left physically injured to varying degrees, and tens of thousands psychologically, emotionally and mentally broken. [Billboard editor’s note: While around 260 festival attendee deaths have been reported, CNN says that last weekend’s Hamas attacks overall killed more than 1,300 people.]

At this moment, our production team is focused on providing the right and extensive emotional and mental support to everyone involved. This is the most important thing in this moment.

We are working tirelessly, day and night, conducting search and rescue operations, helping identify the victims and updating their families. Searching for those located in the disaster area, or other locations, recovering equipment from the site and its surroundings and, above all, ensuring the security of Israel.

This is our sole goal, and we will stand behind it and fulfill it to the best of our abilities. We will not stop.

We are present at the disaster site and its vicinity day in and day out, working hand in hand with security forces and authorities to help find answers and bring back all that those who can return to their families and friends.

At the moment, this is our top priority. In the meantime, it’s essential for us to convey the following message: Our strength lies in our unity! We are in a war for our home, and it’s essential that we all come together, strengthen each other, and unite under one great, shining light to overcome this dark period as quickly as possible.

We send infinite love and a massive embrace to all Tribe of Nova members and all around Israeli civilians, the injured, the affected and the families of the deceased and the missing.

Wishing all of you to stay safe and that you take care of yourselves. We continue to pray that goodness and light will always prevail.

Wish wishes for a peaceful and safe week and good tidings for all of the people of Israel. Both in the land and across the world.”

14 Oct 2023

‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Film Has Taylor Lautner Doing Backflips for Wife Taylor

Taylor Lautner was flexing like a goddamn acrobat to “Karma” at a movie theater for the opening weekend of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

The actor, who happens to be married to another Taylor (Dome) and is an ex of Taylor Swift‘s, backflipped in front of the big screen at a showing of the blockbuster concert movie that’s headed for a $100 million domestic opening.

Tay shared a couple videos of her husband being the life of the party in front of their friends at an Eras Tour movie viewing via Instagram Stories, here and here. She posted the clips on Saturday (Oct. 14).

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Other Instagram Stories showed Tay singing along and dancing to Reputation‘s “Ready for It” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”

Before admitting they were experiencing “post-Taylor Swift show depression” after seeing Swift live in Los Angeles in August, the couple attended another show on The Eras Tour. In July, Lautner the actor made a surprise appearance onstage at Kansas City’s Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the premiere of Swift’s “I Can See You” music video, in which he stars alongside Joey King. He entertained the sold-out crowd by impressively flipping down the catwalk toward the pop icon.

“He was a very positive force in my life when I was making the Speak Now album, and I want to say he did every single stunt that you saw in that music video,” Swift said onstage. “He and his wife have become some of my closest friends, and it’s very convenient because we all share the same first name.”

Swift and Lautner dated briefly in 2009. Their relationship is believed to have inspired the Speak Now apology track “Back to December,” which reminisces on what Swift missed after breaking up with a former boyfriend: “Your tan skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so right.” Elsewhere in the song, she says, “You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye.”

Swift’s The Eras Tour film already grossed $39 million Friday (Oct. 13), according to The Hollywood Reporter‘s box office update on Saturday, and has a shot at becoming the biggest October opening weekend of all time in North America if it surpasses Joker‘s $96.2 million. Swift called the premiere of her concert film “the most electric experience of my life.”

14 Oct 2023

Aaron Carter’s ‘Final Resting Place’ Revealed by Late Star’s Twin Sister Angel

Aaron Carter’s twin sister, Angel Carter, has revealed the final resting place of the late singer.

On Friday (Oct. 13), Angel took to social media to provide an update on her brother’s burial site. Her post included an image of a bronze plaque featuring a carved portrait of her brother.

“Aaron’s portrait was placed this morning at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills,” she captioned the photo on Instagram. “He adored his fans, and I know how much this would mean to him now having a final resting place where we could all celebrate his life.”

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Angel added, “I invite you to visit, share your memories, and never forget who Aaron was deep down,” followed by a white heart and dove emoji.

Aaron, a former child star and brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, died in November 2022 at age 34, with a string of chart hits and TV credits to his name.

Earlier this year, Carter’s autopsy results were released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, who ruled his death as accidental and revealed the late star drowned in his bathtub after taking a deadly combination of difluoroethane (the gas used in cans of compressed air) and alprazolam (the generic form of Xanax).

At the time of his younger brother’s death, Nick Carter posted an emotional and devastating memorial to him, writing, “My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed…God, Please take care of my baby brother.”

Other tributes honoring Carter poured in across social media from everyone from Hilary Duff — whom he dated briefly in the early 2000s — and New Kids on the Block to Paris Hilton, Christy Carlson Romano, Melissa Joan Hart and more. Controversy erupted among the onetime teen heartthrob’s fanbase when he was left out of the “In Memoriam” segment at the 2023 Grammy Awards just a few months later.

See Angel Carter’s post on Instagram below.

14 Oct 2023

Eladio Carrión Takes Over Theater at Madison Square Garden: 5 Takeaways from Sauce Boyz Tour Stop

Surrounded by striking pyrotechnics, amid apocalyptic-like trap and drill beats — punctuated by occasional machine gun sounds — Eladio Carrión made a grand entrance at New York’s Theater in Madison Square Garden.

He was decked out in an outfit reminiscent of Mad Max, rocking a tactical vest and black cargo jeans, with a glimmering B.B. Simon belt. The result was a visual that evoked the image of an urban gladiator stepping onto the stage, an uncanny coincidence considering the superstitious nature of Friday the 13th.

Starting his set at 9:50 p.m., he rallied his ardent fan base, captivating them with a two-hour spectacle that showcased the full spectrum of his career. His performance spanned from the early “SoundCloud days” of Sauce Boyz (2020) to his latest Billboard 200-charting 3MEN2 KBRN, creating a musical journey that left no stone unturned.

His arrival comes one week after he kicked off the second leg of his The Sauce USA tour in Chicago on Oct. 7. The U.S.-born, Puerto Rican rapper expressed his excitement about performing at the legendary Manhattan venue: “You are all here for my first big show in New York at Madison Square Garden. This is a very special day,” he told the audience, reminiscing just a few years ago when he performed in nightclubs.

The enthusiasm was palpable throughout the entire show. It was a mutual exchange of energy with his passionate fanbase, making the performance a memorable one. Presented by Live Nation, Carrión’s tour stops include Las Vegas (Oct. 21), San Diego (Oct. 29), Seattle (Nov. 5) and more before wrapping up Nov. 11 in Miami. 

Here are five takeaways from the trap star’s Sauce Boyz show at The Theater at MSG.

14 Oct 2023

Jada Pinkett Smith Looks Back on Tupac Shakur Kiss, Will Smith Oscars Slap & More

Jada Pinkett Smith is baring it all in the lead-up to her new memoir, Worthy.

In a primetime special on Friday (Oct. 13), the Emmy-winning actress and talk show host sat down with NBC News’ Hoda Kotb for a wide-ranging interview about her husband Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap, kissing Tupac Shakur, and much more.

During the broadcast, titled Jada’s Story: An NBC News Special with Hoda Kotb, Pinkett Smith reflected on Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. The actress revealed that she didn’t realize her husband had struck Rock until a commercial break when her publicist told her, “Chris has left the building and he’s not going to press charges.”

Earlier in the week, Pinkett Smith told People that she hasn’t spoken with Rock since the incident, but that the comedian approached her shortly after the onstage slap and attempted to apologize for his G.I. Jane 2 joke about her nearly bald head, which is caused by her battle with alopecia.

“Chris came down to the end of the stage and tried to apologize to me,” the actress said. “He said, ‘I didn’t mean you any harm.’ I said, ‘I can’t talk about this now, Chris. This is some old s—.’”

Elsewhere during the TV interview, Pinkett Smith touched on her past friendship with late rap icon Tupac Shakur, whom she met in the late 1980s while attending Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland. “Pac was new. It was my sophomore year, and he looked over, and he saw me, and he just targeted me,” she said, describing him as “charismatic” with a “beautiful smile.”

She added, “He had a little peanut head… He was just this happy, bouncy, energetic, just full of life, vibrant, you know? And I was like, ‘Whoa.’”

Pinkett Smith downplayed any romantic connection with 2Pac, but shared a story about the pair kissing on her back porch. “We both pulled back like ‘What the hell?’” she said, laughing. “It was not for either one of us.”

In a preview of the primetime special, the actress revealed that she and Smith have been separated since 2016 after the couple became “exhausted with trying” to keep their marriage together. She told Kotb that it was not a divorce “on paper,” but it was definitely a divorce in their minds, even as the couple continued to present a united public front.

Pinkett Smith new book, Worthy, is scheduled for release on Tuesday (Oct. 17).

14 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ Film Headed Toward $100M Opening at Box Office

Taylor Swift is ready to conquer the box office.

The pop superstar’s new concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, is headed for a $100 million domestic opening, according to early estimates by AMC Theatres, per The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood studios are reportedly projecting that the movie’s opening weekend could earn between $90-$110 million.

The Eras Tour film grossed a whopping $39 million on Friday (Oct. 13), placing it along other blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home ($39.2 million) and Joker ($39.4 million), THR reports. The concert movie has a chance at becoming the biggest October opening of all in North America if it surpasses Joker, according to Comscore.

By the end of the weekend, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour will likely become the top-grossing contemporary music concert film of all time. Justin Bieber‘s Never Say Never movie, released in 2011, currently sits at No. 1 on the top 10 list with a domestic gross of $73 million, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Following its release on Thursday (Oct. 12), the Eras Tour film had already broken records for single-day advance ticket sales revenue in the AMC Theatres’ 103-year history with $26 million in the first 24 hours of onsale, the company said in early September.

Swift was on hand for the world premiere of the movie at The Grove in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Oct. 11), where she delivered a three-minute speech and gave shoutouts to her band, dancers and, of course, Swifties.

“I’ve always had fun doing this. I can’t believe I get to do music as a career. That’s crazy,” the singer said. “I’ve always had so much fun doing it. I’ve never had this much fun in my life as I have had on The Eras Tour. It is far and away just the most electric experience of my life.”

The movie is also opening overseas, where AMC predicts a global start in the range of $150 million, according to THR. International grosses will be available on Sunday (Oct. 15).

14 Oct 2023

Once a Sad Boy, Always a Sad Boy: Junior H Brings Corridos & Moody Tunes to Chicago

Chicago’s gloomy Friday the 13th was the perfect setup for Junior H’s Sad Boyz Tour stop at the Allstate Arena. The Mexican corridos singer returned to Chicago five months after he performed at the city’s Sueños Festival in May in Grant Park. This time, he sang at the venue — located northwest of Chicago — with a capacity of nearly 20,000 people.  

“Ese grito de mis niños tristes esta noche (I want to hear from all my sad boys tonight),” Junior H said throughout his sold-out show. The sad boy lifestyle has become a brand for the artist who first delivered his $ad Boyz 4 Life album two years ago. Since, Junior H’s career has catapulted to chart success and massive tours in the U.S. and in Mexico.

On this particular night in Chicago, he was clad in sporty black slacks, a hoodie that read on the back, “enjoy the ride through the neighborhood,” and crisp white Air Force sneakers — but his accessories were anything but that. Besides his gold-accentuated dark sunglasses, a diamond-heavy chain adorned his neck.

“Are we drinking or are we not drinking?” he asked a crowd that was ready to kick off their fin de semana (weekend) with Junior H. Throughout his two-hour set, he performed songs such as “Lady Gaga,” “Tronando Ligas,” “El Azul,” “Luna,” “Disfruto Lo Malo,” “Bipolar,” “Fin De Semana” and “Abcdario.” He was backed by a full banda, a norteño ensemble and his corridos band, which includes a tololoche and a requinto. His ability to navigate regional Mexican music subgenres such as norteño, banda and corridos on the stage is what makes Junior H a standout act among a crowded field of young artists.

Signed to Rancho Humilde, Junior H rose to stardom four years ago alongside labelmate and corridos tumbados pioneer Natanael Cano. Most recently, Junior H released his new album, $ad Boyz 4 Life II, on Oct. 6. A sequel to $ad Boyz 4 Life, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Album. The new album is just as moody and personal with songs powered by prickly requintos and brassy instruments such as a trombone, a trumpet or tuba.  

Throughout his short but fruitful career, Junior H has scored three No. 1 albums on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart. He’s also entered five songs on the Hot 100 this year alone. All are collaborations with fellow música mexicana hitmakers such as Peso Pluma, Gabito Ballesteros and Oscar Maydon.  

Junior H continues his trek in New York with a show at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on May 15. He’ll then make stops Texas cities such as El Paso, San Antonio and Irving before wrapping up Dec. 2 in Hidalgo.

14 Oct 2023

Gloria Estefan & Daughter Emily Announce New Musical & More Uplifting Moments in Latin Music

From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little, important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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The Estefans’ New Musical

Gloria Estefan announced that she will be penning the music and lyrics for an upcoming original musical alongside her daughter, Emily Estefan. In a recent Instagram post, the award-winning Cuban-American artist said she will be the music supervisor of the forthcoming “Five Notes,” a musical inspired by Paraguay’s Orquesta De Reciclados De Cateura, and which is written by Karen Zacarías and directed by Michael Greif. Based on the “Landfill Harmonic” documentary, “ this is a story that celebrates the power of music, resilience and community,” reads Estefan’s post. Dramaturg Ken Cerniglia and Alex Lacamoire will also form part of the project. 

Britney Meets Los Colombianos

To everyone’s surprise, Britney Spears was spotted hanging out with two of Colombia’s biggest acts, J Balvin and Maluma, this week. The latter shared a photo on his Instagram account, where Spears and Balvin are hugging tight and he’s off to the side with an annoyed smirk. “Who’s like me when it comes to love?” he jokes in the caption. Also joking about their encounter, Spears shared a recap reel on her account, and wrote: “Quick trip to NY…I had no idea who these boys were at this restaurant.” Not much has been said about the meet-up (could a collaboration be in the works?) but check out the photo below:  

A Charro at The Capitol

This week, Alejandro Fernandez visited The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to receive a House Resolution recognition by Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). “Yesterday was one of those days that stay in memory. Not only for the pride of walking dressed as a charro through one of the most important buildings in the world, but for receiving this recognition from the hands of my Latin brothers,” the Mexican artist expressed on his Instagram. “Generations of struggle, growth, and love culminate in one of the greatest honors of my life.” 

Honored for his contributions to Mexican music and Latino culture, as well as humanitarian, Barragán expressed in a statement: “Alejandro not only creates music that millions of people enjoy across the globe, but he’s using his platform and robust following to empower the Latino community through his artistic talents. He’s also been a strong advocate of our continued work to establish the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino on the National Mall. The CHC applauds Alejandro for his lifetime commitment to uplift Latino culture through music, and I look forward to his continued support of our efforts to serve Latinos across the country.

Bad Bunny’s Back!

In true Bad Bunny fashion, the artist surprised fans with a new album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana, this week. Marking his seventh studio set, following the historic Un Verano Sin Ti, the Puerto Rican act unleashed a 22-track LP that, for the most part, goes back to his trap essence. He also reeled in some of his longtime collaborators such as Arcangel, Mora, and Ñengo Flow, as well as Feid and Young Miko, to name a few. Unlike Un Verano that showcased lyrics of being in love and summer beach days in Puerto Rico, Nadie Sabe is about his priorities, his growth, his wins, and his downfalls. 

“I hope you can enjoy this album that I did with a lot of work,” he expressed on his WhatsApp Channel to his over 16 million followers. “All my projects have been done with lots of love for you, but this album, specifically, is 100% for you like no other.” See Billboard’s ranked list of all the songs on Nadie Sabe, here.

The Karol G Scholarships 

As part of its “Becas Con Cora” initiative, Karol G’s “Con Cora” Foundation announced the launch of its new program, “Becas Con Cora en Educación Superior” (“Con Cora Scholarships in Higher Education”), to empower the talented female leaders of today and tomorrow. Through the EAFIT Medellín University, the scholarships “will cover 100% of the beneficiaries’ university tuition for the duration of the undergraduate program, in accordance with the requirements established in the scholarship regulations,” according to a press release. The application period is already open and runs until Nov. 19. Though there’s no nationality restriction, applicants must be residents of Valle de Aburrá in Colombia and demonstrate having a social mission. For more information, visit here.

13 Oct 2023

Bad Bunny’s ‘Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana’ Is 2023’s Most-Streamed Album in a Single Day on Spotify

Bad Bunny‘s just-released album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, is already setting records. Spotify announced Friday (Oct. 13) that the project is their most-streamed album in a single day in 2023 so far.

“We all knew Bad Bunny would break records with this new album,” reads a message on Spotify’s social accounts. “Congrats Benito.”

The Puerto Rican superstar was already a force to be reckoned with on Spotify, as the most-streamed artist globally on the app for the past three years, 2020-22.

Bad Bunny released the 22-track new album — whose name translates to “Nobody Knows What Is Going to Happen Tomorrow” — first thing on Friday the 13th. It’s his fifth solo studio album, following last year’s blockbuster Un Verano Sin Ti. His 2022 album spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and topped the year-end Billboard 200 as well — the first Spanish-language album to do so.

Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana was led by the Jersey club track “Where She Goes” back in May and then “Un Preview,” which arrived on Sept. 26. Bad Bunny performed the two songs — along with “Moscow Mule,” “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Neverita” and “Me Porto Bonito” — in a medley at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Oct. 5 ahead of the album’s release. Benito also took home seven awards for the night, including artist of the year, tour of the year and Global 200 Latin artist of the year.

See Spotify’s announcement below: