Music

27 Mar 2023

Kelly Clarkson Brings ‘Chemistry’ to Las Vegas: Exclusive

Celebrating 21 years since her American Idol win, pop music superstar and talk show host Kelly Clarkson will launch Chemistry, an intimate 10-night engagement at Las Vegas’ Bakkt Theater (formerly Zappos Theater) beginning July 28.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Clarkson was originally slated to begin the Invincible residency at the same venue on April 1, 2020 but it halted due to the pandemic.

“The goal was to make a living doing what I love and I’ve been able to do that and connect with people. That’s incredible. At 19, I was just looking to pay my water bill, I didn’t have anything,” she says of the incredible two-decade long career trajectory that led her to this milestone. “It’s a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. I don’t know if I ever thought it would be this big. I did not think I would end up having an exclusive little 10-show stint in Las Vegas.”

On Sunday, March 26, she announced the title of her new album, Chemistry, on Instagram, inspired by the “emotional journey” she went through during her tumultuous 2020 split with former husband Brandon Blackstock, with whom she has two young children.

Clarkson tells Billboard in an exclusive interview that this show is the ideal way to share new music with her fans.

“I wanted to have this moment with my audience with the new music. My last tour was in 2019 so it’s been years for me [since I’ve been able to] sing more than two minutes on TV,” she says. “It’s nice to be doing a full show. I worked really hard on this record and it took me a while to figure out if I was actually going to put it out. Once I decided, I wanted to sing this live and to feel that energy from the crowd. I didn’t want to do a tour. I have a lot of jobs and also I obviously want to spend some time with my kids this summer so I agreed to do 10 shows.”

Clarkson has sold more than 25 million albums and 40 million singles. Her multi-Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, is currently filming its 4th season and has already been picked up for its 5th and 6th seasons. In 2021, she released her Grammy Award-nominated ninth studio album When Christmas Comes Around… and that was followed by the Kellyoke EP which features six studio versions of popular covers from the Kellyoke segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Chemistry will be her 10th album and her first (non-holiday) effort since 2017. There was a time when she didn’t know if she would ever release it. Clarkson says the break from music has been good given the unfolding circumstances within her life.

“I had a huge divorce happen and my life changed and I did not expect that. Doing the talk show created space for me as an artist because even with my label, I could say, ‘Well, I’m doing this job.’ They didn’t ask me for anything, they really gave me a lot of space, which was really cool,” she says.

“I wrote most of these songs like three years ago. Now I feel like I can talk about it. And it’s not a fresh wound,” she says. “It’s not just one emotion. It’s an entire relationship. There are definitely songs that are devastating and songs that are very angry. And then there are songs that are super sad, and ones that are more sexy, like that first feeling that you get in a relationship. It covers the whole arc of an entire relationship from beginning to end. I didn’t want it to be just about the devastating part.”

Her candor is one of the things her fans love most about her and the reason why her audience has continued to flourish for more than two decades. For Clarkson, honesty is a non negotiable in the creative process.

“I’m very honest about everything but also I have to navigate that I’m a mom of two kids that will be affected. That is one reason why I chose certain songs for the record. But also, I didn’t hold back, you know, in the sense of I feel like it’s important because people love connecting with me, because I’m honest, and I share my story,” she says.

With such a deep catalog, building the setlist can be the hardest part of the equation. “We asked the fans ‘what are you most excited about hearing’ and the problem with my fans, and why it’s so hard, is that they will pick deep cuts … they will be ‘we want ‘Sober’’ and okay, that wasn’t a single.’ So I have to fit in all the singles, plus the new stuff and the deep cuts.”

While Clarkson is tight-lipped on the details, she promises the show will be different every night.

“We’re calling it an intimate night and I don’t want to give it away. There will be different elements every night and every show is not going to be the same,” she says. “We will have the audience participate and I will talk to the audience because now I’m on a talk show and I’m used to engaging. It’s going to be a different kind of show than what people are used to in Vegas.”

She confirms the presence of a full band and a rock ‘n’ roll vibe overall, but says she won’t be bringing fire or dancers—somewhat of the Vegas norm these days.

The summer dates will also give the single mom a chance to have some fun.

“I wasn’t going to bring it up. But yeah, I’m not dead, I want to have a good time, too,” she says with a laugh. “I chose the time for the shows when my kids are with my ex. I do this when I don’t have them so it makes it easier for me as an artist to really just engage with the audience and only have that on my plate. And then also, it’s nice because, you know, they’re getting one-on-one time with their dad.”

This announcement comes on the heels of the official renaming of the Zappos Theater to Bakkt Theater on March 24. It has been home to residences from John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain. Currently, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and The Chicks, scheduled to begin May 3, call the venue home. The theater has undergone extensive renovations to both the front of house and back of house facilities over the last year. Bakkt is a cryptocurrency loyalty platform which has a partnership with Caesars Entertainment and Caesars Rewards.

Kelly Clarkson’s 2023 “Chemistry” dates at Bakkt Theater:
July 28, 29
August 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19

27 Mar 2023

Ed Sheeran Shares Stripped-Down ‘Eyes Closed’ Video Featuring Aaron Dessner on Piano

Just days after manifesting his grief via a blue meanie in the official video for “Eyes Closed,” Ed Sheeran switched things up and dropped a moving live video for the song on Monday (March 27). In the bare-bones clip, Sheeran strums his trusty acoustic guitar inside a drab warehouse space backed by producer The National’s Aaron Dessner on upright piano.

After the first run through the song’s crying chorus Sheeran is joined by a six-piece string section, giving the song a heightened sense of gravity as he sings, “Just dancin’ with my eyes closed/ ‘Cause everywhere I look, I still see you/ And time is movin’ so slow/ And I don’t know what else that I can do/ So I’ll keep dancin’ with my/ Eye-eye-eye-eyes/ Eye-eye-eye-eyes closed/ Eye-eye-eye-eyes So I’ll keep dancin’ with my.”

“Eyes Closed” is the first single from Sheeran’s forthcoming album – (Subtract), the final collection in his mathematics-themed series records. The singer explained that the song percolated for several years, initially imagined as a break-up song before it evolved when Ed suffered a “heartbreaking loss,” which led him to revisit the track, as described in a statement accompanying the official video.

“This song is about losing someone, feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and everything just reminds you of them and the things you did together,” Sheeran explained. “You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it.”

Sheeran’s forthcoming album will drop May 5 via Asylum and Atlantic Records. It’s been described as a “soul-bearing” collection, written “against a backdrop of grief and hope,” during which time he processed his good friend late Australian Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski’s death, his wife Cherry Seaborn‘s tumor diagnosis and the loss of his close pal Jamal Edwards.

Watch the acoustic take on “Eyes Closed” below.

27 Mar 2023

BTS’ Jimin Snags U.K. Top 40 Hit With ‘Set Me Free Pt 2’

First J-Hope, now BTS’s Jimin has a U.K. top 40 hit as “Set Me Free Pt 2” (via BigHit Entertainment) blasts to No. 30 on the national chart.

The South Korean singer is now the standard-bearer of BTS’s solo members – on the U.K. chart, at least.

As the K-pop superstars’ seven members explore their respective solo careers, he’s the fifth to snag a U.K. top 100 solo hit. Previously, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61), and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) impacted the Official U.K. Singles Chart, while J-Hope’s “On The Street,” a collaboration with J. Cole, recently hit No. 37, until now the high point for a solo single from a BTS band member.

“Set Me Free Pt 2” is lifted from Jimin solo album FACE, which dropped last Friday (March 24).

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

As a group, BTS has scored nine top 40s, including four U.K. top 10 singles: “Dynamite,” “Butter” and Coldplay collaboration “My Universe” all going to No. 3, and “Life Goes On” hitting No. 10.

On the U.K. albums chart, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have together landed eight top 40s, including two Official U.K. Albums Chart leaders, with 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.

“Set Me Free Pt 2” is the among the highest debuts on the current chart, published last Friday (March 24). Honors go to Taylor Swift, whose Lover era song “All of the Girls You Loved Before” bows at No. 11. At the top of the survey, Miley Cyrus rides a 10-week streak with “Flowers”.

ARMY will no doubt keenly watch for the debut chart position of Jimin’s FACE. All will be revealed when the national singles and albums charts are published this Friday, March 31.

26 Mar 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Logs 10th Week at U.K. Chart Summit

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (via Columbia) is the song that won’t wither in the U.K., where it logs a 10th consecutive week at No. 1.

By extending its streak, “Flowers” becomes the longest-running No. 1 single by a female solo artist this decade, the Official Charts Company reports, overtaking Olivia Rodrigo’s nine-week haul with 2021’s “drivers license.”

“Flowers” joins Harry Styles’ “As It Was” as the second-longest-reigning single of the 2020s, also at 10 weeks. Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” is the boss, with 11 weeks.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Cyrus now has another major record in her sights. If “Flowers” can add another week at the summit, it’ll equal Tones And I’s 2019 hit “Dance Monkey,” which racked up 11 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 to stand tall as the longest-running No. 1 in the U.K. by a solo female artist.

As “Flowers” holds its top spot, and, once again, finishes the chart week as the U.K.’s most-streamed single, its parent Endless Summer Vacation dips 1-3 on the national albums survey.

Meanwhile, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding make a move with their latest collaboration, “Miracle” (Columbia). The rave tune rises 3-2 on the latest chart, published March 24, and is the most-downloaded single of the week, the OCC reports.

Afrobeats acts Rema (“Calm Down” up 5-4 via Mavin) and Libianca (“People” up 7-5 via 5K) enjoy career-best peaks on the latest singles chart, while London rapper Strandz’s “Us Against The World” (Relentless) lifts 10-9, and Metro Boomin’s “Creepin” (Relentless) with 21 Savage and The Weeknd fires back into the top 10 following the release of a remix with Diddy. It’s up 33-10, just three places behind its peak position.

The highest new entry on the latest tally belongs to Taylor Swift, whose “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” (EMI) bows at No. 11. The song, part of a four-pack of previously-unreleased works, released to celebrate the start of her The Eras Tour, was a late cut from her Lover album. “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” is Swift’s 44th U.K. top 40.

26 Mar 2023

U2 Lands U.K. No. 1 With ‘Songs of Surrender’

It’s a beautiful day for U2, as the iconic Irish rock band starts at No. 1 in the U.K. with Songs of Surrender (via Island).

The new LP, a collection of reimagined songs from across U2’s storied 40-year-plus career, debuts atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published March 24.

It’s the 11th U.K. leader for Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., and their first since 2009’s No Line on the Horizon. The set outsells its nearest competitor by more than 2-to-1, the Official Charts Company reports, an effort that sees the Hall of Famers draw level with the late legend David Bowie on 11 No. 1s. Songs of Surrender is also the week’s best-seller on wax, according to the OCC.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

There’s a lot of love for U2 on the latest chart. The band’s 2006 greatest hits collection U218 Singles returns to the tally, at No. 38.

The podium is completed with the Weeknd’s The Highlights (via Republic Records/XO), unchanged at No. 2, and Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation (RCA), which dips 1-3 in its second week.

Meanwhile, Brighton-England four-piece Black Honey bag a career-high with A Fistful of Peaches (FoxFive), their third studio album. It’s new at No. 6, a result that betters the peak of their eponymously-titled 2018 debut (No. 33) and 2021’s followup Written & Directed (No. 7).

Veteran U.S. rock act All Time Low nab a seventh U.K. top 40 appearance with Tell Me I’m Alive (Parlophone), their ninth studio effort. It’s new at No. 12.

Finally, as Taylor Swift embarks on the U.S. leg of her The Eras Tour, Swifties on the other side of the Atlantic flock to her catalog. Five of her classic LPs rise in the top 40 — led by her latest, the 2022 chart leader Midnights (up 8-4), followed by 2014’s 1989 (26-18), 2019’s Lover (39-23), 2020’s folklore (38-26) and 2017’s Reputation (51-33) – all via EMI. Swift has yet to announce international tour dates.

26 Mar 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Notches Third Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200  

Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time notches a third straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 1). The set earned 209,500 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending March 23 (down 19%), according to Luminate. It debuted at No. 1 with 501,000 units, then tallied 259,000 in its second frame.

In the last 12 months, only two albums have exceeded 200,000 units in each of their first three weeks: One Thing at a Time and Taylor Swift’s Midnights (which surpassed 200,000 in each of its first four weeks).

The last album by a male act to spend its first three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 was Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which also spent its first three frames atop the list (Sept. 18-Oct. 2, 2021-dated charts).

Further, in the last 10 years, only two country albums have clocked at least three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and both are by Wallen: One Thing at a Time, his last album, Dangerous: The Double Album (10 weeks at No. 1 in 2021). (Country albums are considered those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, U2 collects its 13th top 10-charting effort, as Songs of Surrender debuts at No. 5. The retrospective sees U2 revisiting its own catalog, re-recording and re-interpreting familiar hit songs from the band’s career. Among the tracks including on the project: “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “One,” “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “I Will Follow.”

Plus, U2 becomes only the fourth group with a newly-charting top 10 title on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the 1980s, ‘90s, 2000s, ‘10s and now the ‘20s.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 1, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 28. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of One Thing at a Time’s 209,500 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 23, SEA units comprise 194,000 (down 17%, equaling 256.13 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 12,500 (down 41%) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (down 12%).

SZA’s chart-topping SOS climbs 4-2 on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 equivalent album units earned (though down 5%), while Swift’s former leader Midnights jumps 6-3 with 61,000 units (up 31%) following her Eras Tour launch on March 17. Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation falls 3-4 in its second week with 49,000 units (down 59%).

U2’s Songs of Surrender debuts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 with 46,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 42,000, SEA units comprise 4,000 equaling 4.99 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 500. The retrospective re-records project is available in multiple editions, including a standard 16-track edition, a 20-track deluxe and a 40-track super deluxe (with the latter divided into four 10-track chapters named after each band member: Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr.). Sales were also aided by a dozen vinyl variants of the album, including exclusive editions sold by Amazon, Target and independent retailers.

U2 is the fourth group to achieve a newly-charting top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart in the 1980s, ‘90s, 2000s, ‘10s and now the ‘20s. The quartet joins AC/DC, Def Leppard and Metallica.

Rounding out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 are five former No. 1s: Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito (5-6 with 45,000 equivalent album units earned; down 15%); Dangerous: The Double Album (a non-mover at No. 7 with 42,000; down 2%); Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (holding at No. 8 with 40,000; up 3%); Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (10-9 with 38,000; up 12%); and Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (9-10 with 37,000; up 1%).

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.

26 Mar 2023

Kelly Clarkson Announces Post-Divorce Album ‘Chemistry,’ Explains Meaning Behind the Title

Kelly Clarkson has officially announced the title of her upcoming post-divorce album.

The 40-year-old pop superstar and television personality shared the exciting news through social media on Sunday (March 26), revealing details about the album’s title, Chemistry, and assuring fans that new music will be arriving very soon.

“I’ve been working on this project for close to three years now. I wasn’t sure I was going to release it, but I am. The album is called Chemistry,” Clarkson said in a video on Instagram.

“I was trying to find a word, it might be one of the songs on the album, but I was trying to find a word that really described the whole thing. I didn’t want everybody to think I was just coming out with some ‘I’m angry,’ ‘I’m sad’ — just one or two emotions. This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship.”

The Kelly Clarkson Show host added, “That whole relationship shouldn’t be brought down to one thing. There’s the good, the bad and the ugly kind of thing going on. Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you. So that’s why I named it Chemistry, I thought it was the perfect title to describe the entire album.”

Clarkson did not reveal a specific release date for Chemistry, but said the album is “coming out soon” and noted that new music from the forthcoming release is “coming out even sooner.”

The songstress said in a September 2022 interview with Variety that she had been working on new music in the wake of her separation and subsequent divorce filing from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in 2020.

“My producer and I were laughing yesterday because I was like, ‘Remember that time we wrote, like, 25 songs in a week?’ A lot of those are the ones that are on the album,” Clarkson told Variety. “I literally wrote most of these almost two years ago. Then I told my label, ‘I can’t talk about this until I’ve gone through it,’ and it’s just taken some time to do that. That’s one of the reasons we’ve done a lot of Christmas stuff the past two years — because I was like, ‘Well, that’s happy!’”

Clarkson’s most recent album, the holiday release When Christmas Comes Around, arrived in 2021. Prior to that, she dropped her eighth studio album, 2017’s Meaning of Life, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

The singer’s upcoming Chemistry album was reportedly inspired by the “emotional journey” she went through during her tumultuous split with Blackstone, with whom she has two young children.

“I hadn’t really been working hardcore on an album until I needed to. I was just very busy,” Clarkson said of the album, which will be released on Atlantic Records.

“There were so many jobs, and I’m a single mom — well, even with being married, it’s a lot, trying to fit kids’ schedules in and all that stuff. But then the whole divorce thing happened, and I needed to write it. And then I didn’t know if I was going to release it, because you can be very angry in that state of mind. So some of the songs, they definitely cover the gamut of emotions; there’s everything on the album. It’s almost like the arc of a relationship, because the beginning is so beautiful and so sweet, and then it evolves. And sometimes it doesn’t evolve how you want.”

Watch Clarkson’s Chemistry album announcement on Instagram below.

26 Mar 2023

Fans Choose Jimin’s ‘Face’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Jimin‘s debut solo album, Face, has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 24) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s six-track project as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Face, which arrived on March 24 via HYBE LABELS, brought in 74% of the vote, beating out new music from Lana Del Rey (Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd), Ed Sheeran (“Eyes Closed”), Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro (RR), Luke Combs (Gettin’ Old), and others.

Face was preceded by pre-release single “Set Me Free, Pt.2” and its dance-heavy music video. The new album also contains “Like Crazy,” album opener “Face-Off,” and more. In addition to production from the likes of Pdogg, Ghstloop and Evan, Jimin’s BTS bandmate RM also has songwriting credits on three songs on the tracklist.

In an interview with Consequence previewing Face, Jimin admitted each of his bandmates have been anxious over going solo as they focused on individual projects, but “their results were absolutely great.” (Recent solo efforts have included J-Hope’s old-school hip-hop-leaning Jack in the Box, RM’s eclectic, collab-packed Indigo, and Jin’s single “The Astronaut,” which was co-written by Coldplay and released before he started his mandatory enlistment in the Korean military.)

Jimin himself was also nervous for his solo debut before its grand unveiling, explaining, “I don’t want to be an embarrassment to my members. I want to be a proud member of BTS” before hinting that the album will explore “how I overcame… If people understand the emotions I’m trying to express, I’ll consider the album a success.”

Trailing behind Jimin on the fan-voted poll was Del Rey’s ninth album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, with 21% of the vote. In the set, the songstress muses on sex, devotion, family and American decay, but this time with a series of guests — including Tommy Genesis, Jon Batiste and Bleachers — providing an assist. The set shows once again that Del Rey is trying to challenge herself in ways she previously hasn’t.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

26 Mar 2023

Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron Addresses Rumors About Joining Foo Fighters on Drums for Upcoming Tour

Matt Cameron is clearing up rumors about joining the Foo Fighters for the rock band’s upcoming tour dates.

On Saturday (March 25), the Pearl Jam drummer shared a post on his Instagram Story, denying a recent report by U.K. tabloid The Sun that he’s replacing late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins when the group returns to the road in late spring.

“FYI the internet rumors are false, I haven’t joined the Foos,” Cameron wrote alongside a red heart emoji.

The Sun reported on March 16 that Cameron, a close friend of Hawkins, would join the Foo Fighters on their 2023 North American tour, which begins May 24 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, N.H. Citing a source, the report also indicated that Angels & Airwaves drummer Atom Willard would join the Dave Grohl-fronted band on various upcoming dates.

Cameron performed the Foo Fighters song “Low” alongside surviving band members during a September 2022 tribute concert in Los Angeles. Saturday (March 25) marked the one-year anniversary of Hawkins’ death at the age of 50. He passed away in a Bogotá, Colombia, hotel room as the Foos were gearing up to perform. The beloved drummer’s death was announced through a social media statement from the band’s accounts, with no immediate cause of death given.

In a New Year’s Eve social media post, the Foo Fighters announced plans to continue as a “different band going forward” following the death of Hawkins.

“Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were — and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward,” the statement read. “We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again — and we will soon — he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”

See Cameron post on his Instagram Story here.

26 Mar 2023

5 Best Moments From Maroon 5’s Hits-Packed Las Vegas Residency

With two decades of steady pop radio hits under their belts, Maroon 5 are a perfect fit for a Las Vegas residency, breezing through a tight 20-song setlist during night 2 of their Dolby Live at Park MGM opening weekend on Saturday (March 25).

Adam Levine drives the energy of the hour-and-a-half show — never staying in one place for too long as he constantly moves across the stage and darts closer to the crowd on an X-shaped catwalk, wearing a series of tattoo-bearing outfits (or just no shirt at all). But it’s truly a full-band showcase, with spotlights on founding guitarist James Valentine’s shredding solos, a jamming song led by keyboardist PJ Morton, and a trio of brass players adding vibrant horns throughout.

Even if you don’t know Maroon 5’s catalog front and back, the most casual pop fan will recognize the Billboard Hot 100 mainstays that make up the setlist, including a host of collaborations that Levine takes on solo, whether he’s singing the Christina Aguilera verse on “Moves Like Jagger,” pulling double-duty on the SZA duet “What Lovers Do,” or performing rap-free versions of songs with Wiz Khalifa (“Payphone”) or Gym Class Heroes (“Stereo Hearts”). The one rapper we did hear on Saturday night was Cardi B, whose intro to the seven-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Girls Like You” was broadcast ahead of the second track of a three-song encore.

What else can you expect from Maroon 5’s new M5LV residency? Below, find Billboard’s five favorite moments from opening weekend.