State Champ Radio Music
Page: 217
Most people wouldn’t expect to see pillows passed around a Dead & Company concert.
But for Bernie Cahill of Activist Artists Management — the firm that manages Bobby Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead and frontman of Dead & Company (which Cahill co-manages with Irving Azoff and Steve Moir) — the decorative pillows, handed out to fans with floor tickets during the band’s nightly performance of “Drums/Space” at its Sphere residency, serve an important purpose. Those on the floor are encouraged to lie down and gaze up at the cutting-edge venue’s towering screen, which during the instrumental segment often displays imagery of the cosmos; at other points during the band’s Dead Forever shows, audiences take in visuals from the San Francisco Bay Area to psychedelic animations.
Thanks to its massive video screen, its booking of superstar acts and its aggressively high ticket prices, Las Vegas’ Sphere — where Dead & Company alone grossed $21.6 million from six concerts in March, when it resumed shows there following a successful run last year — is again the world’s top-grossing building, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. It surpasses the top stadium (Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros) and two iconic New York venues (Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall) with a $165.3 million haul at midyear, which spans from Oct. 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
Sphere’s economic power isn’t in its show count — at midyear, the venue has hosted only 42 dates, including other residencies by the Eagles and dance artist Anyma — but in its average ticket price, which at $238 is roughly double those of Madison Square Garden ($133) or London’s O2 Arena ($105). While much of the music industry debates rising ticket prices, Sphere has shown there’s a vibrant market ready to pay a premium for special experiences delivered by top talent.
A DOWNWARD TREND: This year’s midyear charts are down significantly compared with 2024: Last year, the top 10 tours at this time had a combined gross of $1.4 billion, while in 2025, the top 10 outings have grossed a combined $1 billion, a drop of more than 28%. Among the top 50 tours, the combined gross disparity was less stark but still notable, going from $3.2 billion in 2024 to $2.5 billion in 2025, a drop of about 21%.
But this shift doesn’t necessarily signify weakness in the market. The main reason was show count: There have been fewer concerts in 2025 at the midyear point than there were in 2024. In 2024, the top 10 tours at midyear reported a combined 442 total shows for the period, compared with 245 in 2025, a 45% decline. For the top 50, the 1,425 shows reported in 2024 fell to 1,159 in 2025, a drop of 18.7%. On Billboard’s Top Promoters chart, Live Nation’s grosses were down to $2.2 billion in 2025 from $2.8 billion in 2024. But because shows are booked months, or sometimes over a year, in advance, changes in the number of total shows don’t reveal much about consumer spending or demand in early 2025.
The decline partially stems from timing. During a recent earnings call, Live Nation president/CEO Michael Rapino noted that more artists are waiting until the second and third quarters to launch their tours — and with more acts playing stadiums in 2025, more major tours are on the road in the summer, when the weather is better. The 2025 show count should increase in the next six months, which historically covers the busiest part of the year, especially in North America.
Importantly, last year’s touring numbers at midyear were unusually high thanks to U2’s venue-opening Sphere residency, which grossed $231.6 million from 38 shows during that time. That tracking period also included dozens of concerts from three major tours (Madonna, P!nk and Luis Miguel) that led to a high show count.
CHART STATS: Three acts in the 2025 midyear top 10 — Coldplay, P!nk and Eagles — also appeared in last year’s midyear top 10. And three more among the top 10 — Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars and SEVENTEEN — ranked among the top 20 at midyear in 2024. But there are some notable differences in the music genres atop the chart.
After three Latin tours reached the top 10 at midyear in 2024, only Shakira has done so in 2025. And after Travis Scott ranked No. 9 at midyear in 2024, no hip-hop artists cracked the top 10 in 2025. The highest-ranking hip-hop tour at midyear is Tyler, The Creator, who is No. 16 with $65.3 million grossed.
When it comes to ticket prices, Eagles at Sphere had the highest average price among the top 10 tours of $285 per ticket, followed by Usher, who charged an average of $179, and P!nk, whose tickets averaged $174.
The cheapest tickets among the top 10 tours were for Coldplay ($109), Mars ($118) and McCartney ($129). On average, the ticket price of the top 50 tours was $130, down 10% from 2024. On the Top Tours chart, 10 acts had an average ticket price that was under $100: Aventura ($99), Sebastian Maniscalco ($98), André Rieu ($94), Deftones ($88), Iron Maiden ($85), Trans-Siberian Orchestra ($84), Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds ($84), Cody Johnson ($77), Feid ($77) and Strait ($49).
THE TOP 10: Keep scrolling for details on the top 10 touring artists of Billboard’s midyear Boxscore period, tracking all shows worldwide from Oct. 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
Justin Timberlake
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Barely three months after his “Not Like Us” shattered the mark as the longest-running No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Kendrick Lamar is back for another stab at the record books.
Lamar’s “Luther” collaboration with frequent collaborator (and current Grand National co-headliner) SZA captures a record-tying 22nd week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated May 31, matching “Not Like Us” for the all-time mark since the chart became a singular, all-encompassing genre ranking in October 1958. “Not Like Us” rang up 21 weeks in charge in 2024 amid its moment in Lamar’s diss track war with Drake, and rebounded for a 22nd frame in February after Lamar’s performance of the song during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
For SZA, the “Luther” look also returns her to a perch she once claimed: Before “Not Like Us” took the title, the singer-songwriter’s “Kill Bill” scored the most weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, 21 in 2022-23.
Trending on Billboard
As “Luther” shares the gold medal, here’s a look at the songs the most weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in its 66-year history:
Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs:
22, “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA, 2024-2522, “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar, 2024-2521, “Kill Bill,” SZA, 2022-2320, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, 201918, “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, 2021-2218, “One Dance,” Drake feat. WizKid & Kyla, 201616, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. + Pharrell, 201315, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, 2006
[embedded content]
For its 22nd week in charge, “Luther” registered 16.7 million official United States streams, 2,000 sales downloads and 60.5 million in airplay audience in the tracking week of May 16-22, according to Luminate, declines of 8%, 6% and 4%, respectively, in each metric.
Mirroring its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs triumph, “Luther” achieves a 22nd week at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The melodic rap cut remains in second place for the longest stay at the summit in the chart’s 35-year history, trailing only “Not Like Us” and its 26-week record.
While “Luther” extends its domination on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, it surrenders the top spot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 to Morgan Wallen’s “What I Want,” featuring Tate McRae. The new champ clips the “Luther” reign at 13 weeks – still, easily the longest-running No. 1 for both Lamar and SZA atop the flagship chart.
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.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
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.
Trending on Billboard
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
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty
On Monday (May 26), some of your favorite music artists were bestowed with awards at the 2025 American Music Awards and while some were expected due to the success they experienced this past year, others were surprising as some upsets were pulled off as a reminder that yes, this is America alright.
Most shocking to many in the Hip-Hop culture was Eminem’s wins over Kendrick Lamar for Favorite Hip Hop Artist and Favorite Hip Hop Album as Slim Shady almost helped shut out Kendrick winning any awards in the 10 categories he was nominated in. Now, we can’t deny that Eminem is a Hip-Hop legend, but the man did not have a better year than Kendrick Lamar did in 2024 in any sense of the word. Just sayin’. Luckily, K. Dot was recognized for the work he put in in his efforts to dismantle Drake and took home the award for Favorite Hip-Hop Song for his classic cut “Not Like Us.”
As the show went on many of your other favorite artists took home some gold as the likes of Megan Thee Stallion (Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist), Bruno Mars (Favorite Male Pop Artist) and Beyoncé (Favorite Female Country Artist) were recognized for their body of work this past year. We’re low-key surprised Beyoncé winning a country award didn’t spur MAGA to take to social media to say this is what’s wrong with America or something.
The biggest winner of the night was indeed Billie Eilish who took home seven awards including Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year for her third studio album Hit Me Hard And Soft.
While many fans think these awards shows are rigged in some way, shape or form, according to People, the nominees and winners of the American Music Awards is a fan-voted awards ceremony based on “key fan interactions, including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses.”
How this algorithm led to Eminem beating out Kendrick Lamar still doesn’t make sense to us, but that’s neither here nor there.
Check out the complete list of winners on the American Music Awards website, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
For the record, Bono said he has never endorsed a politician for office. But when Jimmy Kimmel asked him on Tuesday night (May 27) where he stood in the ongoing, escalating battle between Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen, the socially conscious U2 singer said there was only one endorsement he could possibly give.
“I think there’s only one ‘Boss’ in America,” the Irish rock legend responded cheekily in reference to Springsteen’s longtime nickname. The dig at the president came after a recent late night Truth Social rant in which Trump called for a “major investigation” into celebrities who supported former vice president Kamala Harris in her White House bid. “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Trump wrote. “WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???”
Trending on Billboard
According to Newsweek, there is no official record of any of those artist being paid to perform in support of Harris. In addition, Irish citizen Bono did not endorse a candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election and did not participate in any campaign events.
That said, Bono was more than happy to be included in the Trump dump. “To be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Oprah, I’d play tambourine in that band,” he told Kimmel, clarifying that neither he nor U2 have ever “paid or played a show to support any candidate from any party. It has never happened. It’s called ‘Truth Social,’ but it seems to be very antisocial and it’s not very true,” he quipped about the president’s social media platform.
He did, however, suspect that his name may have made it into Trump’s rant because he co-founded the non-profit One Campaign, a global non-partisan organization that has raised millions to create economic opportunities in Africa. In the midst of the Trump administration’s unprecedented dismantling of U.S. government agencies — including efforts to completely defund and eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development — Bono noted that people across the political spectrum, including the many “very religious Catholics and evangelicals and conservatives” who support his organization are “very, very, very angry with the person that they voted into office having demolished instruments of mercy and compassion, like USAID or PEPFAR,” he said.
The latter is a reference to a global initiative launched by Republican President George W. Bush in 2003 that is credited to date with saving 26 million lives of people living with AIDS and and allowing nearly 8 million babies to be born with HIV infection. “They are not happy and there will be trouble,” Bono predicted of the blow-back from Trump’s actions.
While he was happy to weigh in on the American pop-litical back-and-forth, Bono was actually there to promote his new biographical film, Bono: Stories of Surrender, which premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday (May 30). In a rare TV chat appearance, the singer jokingly said the memoir-tuned-one-man-show-turned-film has him playing an “aging rock star on a massive ego trip… It’s quite a stretch.”
He briefly described how the film had him exploring his “rather complicated” relationship with his strong-willed late father, Brendan Robert Hewson, as well as his own struggles to be a good father and son. When Kimmel noted that the film got a nearly 9-minute ovation at its Cannes Film Festival debut, Bono, despite being one of the world’s biggest rock stars, admitted to feeling a sense of imposter syndrome while walking the red carpet at the glamorous French film fête.
In fact, he was somewhat unnerved to even sit with Kimmel, asking actress daughter Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters) for advice, which she dutifully provided. “‘Dad, just bring it,’” she counseled the 65-year-old music legend. “And I’m like, ‘bring what?,’” he replied. “She said, ‘it. It. Just answer Jimmy’s questions. None of the jazz conversation without full stops and commas. Just answer his question, no false modesty.’”
Sage advice indeed. So, when Kimmel asked what’s next for U2, Bono gave a somewhat jazz-less answer. “Oh, oh yes,” Bono said in response to a query about whether the band is recording new music. “We’ve been in a studio. I think you’ve sometimes got to deal with the past to get to the present… in order to make the sound of the future.”
Bono described the sound as that of “four men who feel like their lives depend on it,” noting that “nobody needs a new U2 album unless it’s an extraordinary one. And I’m feeling very strong about it.” The unnamed album would be the follow-up to 2023’s Songs of Surrender, which featured re-recorded versions of 40 of the group’s previously released tracks.
Pumping up the jazz, Bono said the new tracks are songs for the “kitchen… the speedway, the garage… just for every part of your life. Songs to make up to, songs to break up to.” The best news is that drummer Larry Mullen Jr. is back in the fold following neck surgery that kept him out of U2’s residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere in late 2023 and early 2024. “He’s really innovative,” Bono said of the band’s time keeper.
Watch Bono on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.
Gloria Estefan is ready to introduce the world to Raíces, her first Spanish-language album in 18 years and the 30th in her 50-year career. It is, in the words of the superstar, “like a modern Mi Tierra” — a sort of sequel to her iconic first LP in her native language, but freer.
“When we had the concept for the [1993] album Mi Tierra, we wanted to highlight a rich era of Cuban music that had been celebrated worldwide B.C. — before Castro,” the Cuban-American artist tells Billboard Español. “Back then, we were very careful to use the language that would have been used in the 1940s in the songs — the arrangements, the instrumentation, we kept it very much of that era. Here, we felt free to explore, always keeping family in mind and the music that gave us so much richness, and which helped us create these fusions, but coming from a very organic and real place.”
Set to release on Friday (May 30) under Sony Music Latin, Raíces consists of 13 tracks mostly written by musician and producer Emilio Estefan Jr., Gloria’s inseparable partner in life and career for over four decades. Salsa, bolero, and tropical rhythms resonate in songs ranging from previously released singles like “Raíces” and “La Vecina (No Sé Na’)” to deeply romantic tracks such as “Tan Iguales y Tan Diferentes,” “Te Juro,” “Agua Dulce,” and “Tú y Yo.”
Among the few songs penned by Gloria is the sweet “Mi Niño Bello (Para Sasha),” dedicated to her only grandson, with the English version “My Beautiful Boy (For Sasha).” “Since he was born, we’ve had a very beautiful and close relationship,” she proudly shares, adding that in Spanish she wanted to create something “with the flavor of ‘Drume Negrita,’ something very classic, a Cuban lullaby.”
A second song on the album, “Cuando el Tiempo Nos Castiga” (co-written by Emilio and Gian Marco and originally recorded by Jon Secada in 2001), also has a new English version courtesy of Gloria, titled “How Will You Be Remembered.” “I never translate exactly. I think about the feeling, the emotion, what one wants to express about the theme, and I approach it in the new language. In English, I was thinking more about legacy — you want to feel happy with what you left behind,” she explains about the discrepancy in the titles, with the one in Spanish meaning “When time punished us.”
Estefan — who in 2023 became the first Latina inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2024 received the Legend Award at the Billboard Latin Women in Music ceremony — usually writes more for her albums, but this time she was focused on creating songs for the upcoming Broadway musical BASURA alongside her daughter Emily when Emilio presented her with the idea for the song “Raíces” a couple of years ago.
“Emilio didn’t even realize it was my 50th [career anniversary],” recalls Estefan, who wanted to do something special to celebrate the milestone. “I told him, ‘Babe, I can’t change my mindset for this, but I would like, if I do an album again, for it to be tropical, for it to be in Spanish.’ He says, ‘Do you trust me?’ I go, ‘Who else am I gonna trust than you?’”
Raíces is Gloria Estefan’s first Spanish-language album since 90 Millas, which debuted and spent three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart in October 2007. Mi Tierra, meanwhile, spent a whooping 58 weeks at the top of the chart.
Estefan also spoke about the new Pope Leo XIV, immigration, and more. Watch the interview in the video above.
Gloria Estefan, ‘RAICES’
Courtesy Photo
Wet Leg has shared the second taste of its upcoming album Moisturizer with the LP’s opening track, “CPR.” The song was released on Tuesday evening (May 27) and follows its live debut at a recent run of live shows. The group – led by singer Rhian Teasdale and guitarist Hester Chambers – headlined two nights […]
As anticipation builds for surprise appearances at Glastonbury 2025, Sir Rod Stewart has confirmed that Ronnie Wood will join him for a Faces reunion during his Legends set. In a new interview on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Stewart explained that he was still in regular contact with the Rolling Stones guitarist. The pair were previously bandmates in the late ’60s/early ’70s blues rock band, alongside drummer Kenney Jones.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Woody, I do [speak to] a lot,” the 79-year-old said. “Just recently, ’cause we’re gonna do Glastonbury together.” You can listen to the podcast in full here.
Trending on Billboard
Faces hinted at a comeback last month, with Jones revealing in an interview with The Telegraph that the band had recorded “about 11 tracks” at RAK Studios in London for a new album – which would be their first full-length effort in over 50 years.“I can’t see it coming out this year. But I can see it coming out next year,” he continued. “Everyone’s doing different things. We do little snippets [of recording] here and there. Then all of a sudden, The Stones are out [on tour] again, Rod’s out again…”
First formed in 1969 through a merger between members of Small Faces and the Jeff Beck Group, Faces existed for six years before guitarist Wood left to join the Rolling Stones, and Stewart continued his burgeoning solo career. The group have released four albums, with 1971’s A Nod Is As Good As a Wink… to a Blind Horse hitting No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
Glastonbury will take place at Worthy Farm, Somerset next month (June 25-29) with headliners The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo. Stewart last performed at the festival in 2002, topping the bill alongside Coldplay and Stereophonics that year.
The “Maggie May” singer will take to the Pyramid Stage on Sunday afternoon for the Legends slot – one of the most coveted in the festival’s history. Previous bookings have included Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Lionel Richie, Kylie Minogue and Diana Ross, with Shania Twain performing in the Legends slot in 2024.
Shortly after he was announced for this year’s event, Stewart said he was “proud, ready and more than able to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury.” He was the first name to be confirmed for Glastonbury 2025, which sold out in under an hour last autumn following the introduction of a new online queuing system.
2025’s edition will mark the final event to take place at Worthy Farm before the traditional fallow year in 2026, which sees the landowner Michael Eavis and his family allow the grounds to recover every four years. The festival will return again in 2027.
Reneé Rapp is leaning into her identity, her artistry, and the name she says was designed for the spotlight.
During a new episode of the Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler, the singer and actor opened up about her early path to pop stardom, revealing that her mother, Denise Rapp, deliberately gave her an alliterative name to help her succeed in entertainment.
“My mom chose my first and last name to be—well, okay, arguably chose my first and last name to both have R’s,” Rapp said. “She was like, ‘Alliteration, just in case she wants to be a pop star.’ Like before I was born.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“She gave you a pop star name just in case, because Reneé Rapp is a huge pop star name,” Poehler responded. Rapp agreed: “It’s a really good one.”
Trending on Billboard
The conversation also touched on Rapp’s experience publicly coming out as a lesbian while appearing on Saturday Night Live in January. She recalled asking the writers to revise a line in a sketch that referred to her as a “little bisexual intern.”
“At that time I was very publicly bisexual,” Rapp said. “In private, I was talking with my girlfriend and a lot of my friends for the last maybe eight months before that of being like, ‘I actually don’t really feel very bi at the moment. I feel very much like a lesbian and it feels so nice and that word feels amazing.’”
“Labeling yourself publicly is really, really, really empowering,” she added. “And also, I think, can be kind of intimidating.” She described the moment as “pretty c—y” and said it felt “so f—ing good.”
Earlier this week, Rapp debuted a new single titled “Leave Me Alone” during her live performance at the 2025 American Music Awards. The fiery, guitar-heavy track addresses her frustrations with fame and references her exit from the now-cancelled HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls.
“Signed a hundred NDAs but I still say something / Leave me alone, b—h, I wanna have fun / Took my sex life with me, now the show ain’t f—in’,” she sings on the chorus.
“Leave Me Alone” marks the first release from Rapp’s upcoming sophomore album Bite Me, which is set for release on Aug. 1 via Interscope. The album follows 2023’s Snow Angel, which debuted at No. 44 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. The title track also reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart.
Bite Me is out Aug. 1.
John Butler is stepping into a bold new era. The ARIA Award-winning musician has officially announced his tenth studio album, PRISM, which is set to arrive Sept. 5.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The announcement lands alongside the release of the album’s second single, “So Sorry,” out today (May 28).
Marking a significant shift away from the John Butler Trio moniker, PRISM was recorded entirely solo with producer James Ireland (POND, San Cisco), who co-handled instrumentation and production duties. “It’s a big life and the world, in many ways, is in turmoil. Personally, I did a lot of soul-searching and reflecting as this record took shape,” Butler shared in a statement.
“For me, PRISM is a cathartic release, a celebration of going solo, moving away from the John Butler Trio moniker, and yet another sonic stretch as I continue to refine my musical journey. The title reflects the sonic and emotional “bandwidth” I wanted to explore: the whole spectrum of what it is to be human. Love, death, politics, inner and outer turmoil and redemption.”
Trending on Billboard
Butler added, “On the deeply reflective single, ‘So Sorry,’ Butler explores the long shadows cast by enduring relationships. “You get together as ‘kids’ and if you’re lucky, you learn how to regulate and become adults together. But no one gets out unscathed.”
PRISM is part three in Butler’s ambitious Four Seasons project, following 2024’s Running River (an ambient meditation album) and Still Searching (an all-instrumental LP). Described as both “contemplative and explosive,” the upcoming release promises an eclectic blend of festival-ready anthems, groove-heavy rock, and soul-searching ballads.
Butler performed at Bluesfest earlier this year and is set to kick off a major U.S. tour across June, July and August, with Australian headline dates to be announced soon.
One of Australia’s most successful independent artists, Butler’s accolades include multiple platinum records, ARIA Awards, and several No. 1 albums on the ARIA Albums Chart. His 2018 LP HOME debuted at No. 1 and saw him experiment with expanded instrumentation and electronic textures, paving the way for PRISM‘s continued sonic evolution.
PRISM arrives Sept. 5 and is available for pre-save and pre-order now.
