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Earlier this month, breakthrough country superstar Kane Brown became the first touring artist to play all 29 National Basketball Association (NBA) arenas during a single tour, fulfilling a lifelong dream around his passion for pro hoops.
“Kane’s a huge basketball fan,” says his manager Martha Earls with Neon Coast. “He’s athletic, loves sports and first got the idea back in 2019 when he was invited to headline a 20th-anniversary show for what was then the Staples Center in LA (and now is known as Crypto.com Arena).”
The January 2020 show — postponed from October 18, 2019, due to the tragic death of Kane’s longtime friend and drummer Kenny Dixon days earlier — and a Lakers game attended the night before by Kane, Earls and promoter Rich Schaefer with AEG Global Touring became the genesis for Brown’s first arena tour.
Originally scheduled to be announced in March 2020, publicity for Brown’s tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a plan to “be ready the minute we can get back on the road,” Schaefer recalls. “That opening came in April of 2021 and we ended up being one of the first sales in the year following COVID-19.”
Schaefer said he wanted Brown to get back on the road after releasing his EP Mixtape, Vol 1 in Aug. 2020 on RCA Records Nashville, which hit No. 2 on Billboard‘s Country Albums chart and No. 15 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Mixtape, Vol. 1 included the crossover track “Be Like That” featuring Swae Lee and Khalid, as well as “Cool Again” featuring Nelly and “Last Time I Say Sorry” featuring John Legend.
“Sales for the tour were massive and the tour kicked off six months later,” Schaefer said of the Blessed & Free Tour, which officially launched on Oct. 1, 2021, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento and hit 28 of 29 NBA arenas and college facilities in Nampa, Idaho and College Station, Pennsylvania. The tour also made three stops at hockey arenas in Pittsburgh, Seattle and Las Vegas, wrapping its first leg at Sin City’s T-Mobile Arena on Feb. 4.
The final show took place 10 months later on Dec. 4 at the final NBA arena on the tour, ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto — marking the 29th of 29 NBA arena concerts. “We couldn’t get into Canada during the initial run of the tour because of the restrictions and the lockdown in the country,” Schaefer says.
In Jan. 2022, the Blessed & Free Tour was the most well-attended concert tour of the month, averaging 11,000 fans per show. “When we did announce the tour in April, I got some calls from people thinking we were maybe being a little bit bullish,” Earls recalls, “but we just felt there was such a desire from the fan base and an excitement from fans for live music coming back that we knew we were ready.”
Helping boost sales was the chart success of Chris Young’s track “Famous Friends” featuring Brown, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay in July, two months after the Blessed & Free Tour went on sale.
“At almost every show, we had NBA players come out on stage for ‘Famous Friends,’ often with the mascots from each team,” Schaefer said. In Milwaukee, player Khris Middleton appeared on stage for the song months after leading the Bucks to their first NBA Finals victory.
During the downtime between the February date in Vegas and the Canada show, Brown performed the first concert ever held at Finley Stadium in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, on May 7.
“It was a heavy lift and we all learned a lot together including the stadium staff,” Schaefer recalls. “We don’t really say no to a lot of things. If it’s Kane’s dream to do it, we’re gonna help make that happen. That’s what we do for a living here.”
A month later, Brown reached another milestone, headlining a stadium show at Fenway Park in Boston on June 23. The venue became available to Brown thanks to a quick sellout at the city’s TD Garden arena five months earlier on the Blessed & Free Tour.
“That was the great thing about this tour — each success lead to a new opportunity and a chance for Kane to hit a bunch of venues he has always wanted to play,” Earls said. “We learned more than we ever thought possible and watched Kane continue to grow and strengthen his relationship with fans who have grown with him. We are all so proud of what he has achieved.”
Three rising rappers from the land Down Under are getting their shot at NBA 2K23.
ARIA Award-nominated hip-hop artist Chillinit, teen vocalist Sahxl, and Barkaa, a Malyangapa, Barkindji woman from western New South Wales, have contributed fresh tracks which will be ingested into the game.
The three artists were challenged to incorporate sound effects from the court into their creations — the bounce of the ball, shoe squeaks, the stomping of fans’ feet.
With points on the board, in the form of “Big Swish” (Chillinit), “The One” (Sahxl) and “Ball ‘on Em” (Barkaa), the music makers are living a hoop dream.
“I have always been a huge fan of the NBA and the video game, as a kid I would play for hours, then fast forward years later to see my own billboard within the game while I play with my own little brothers is surreal,” comments Chillinit (real name Blake Turnell), whose Family Ties (via 420 Family/Virgin Music Australia) was nominated at the 2022 ARIA Awards in the best hip-hop/rap release category.
“It’s been such an honor to work with the team at 2K and to be a part of a game that I genuinely love and grew up playing. I can’t thank the team enough and can’t wait to welcome you all to the 2K with‘Big Swish’”.
According to reps, it’s the first time NBA 2K has engaged with artists who’ve specifically written tracks and utilized sounds from the basketball court.
The original songs enjoy a lift away from the virtual court with music videos, which feature in a new hip-hop-meets-ball “cultural” forum, Court in Session.
Helming the clips is Gabriel Gasparinatos, the music video and commercial director who has cut ads and campaigns for Adidas, Beats by Dre, Spotify and Google.
The hip-hop trio make the journey from Australia to NBA 2K23, as a wave of Aussie athletes impact the Association, a growing list that includes young guns Josh Giddey, Josh Green, and Dyson Daniels, veterans Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Joe Ingles, and three-times All-Star Ben Simmons.
The Court in Session campaign was powered by BRING Universal Music for Brands for 2K23, developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports.
When VASSY shoots, she scores.
The hitmaking Australian singer and songwriter is a star in the EDM space, with several slam dunks of her own.
Earlier this year, her 2014 hit “Bad” with David Guetta and Showtek passed one billion streams on YouTube, and a posterizing two billion plays across all platforms.
Born in Darwin, now based in the United States, VASSY boasts six No. 1s on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart (including “Bad” and 2018’s “Lost” with Afrojack featuring Oliver Rosa), she’s had songs featured in film and TV, including the trailer for Disney’s Frozen, won a prestigious International Dance Music Award and, last year, joined APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List.
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The wins don’t stop there. In 2013, she became the first Australian artist to hit No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart with her solo number “We Are Young,” and she has played to heaving audiences around the globe, including Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, Belgium’s Tomorrowland, and New York’s Electric Zoo.
This week, the multi-platinum artist added an NBA halftime show to her collection of career highlights.
Wearing the No. 50 jersey of two-time NBA dunk contest runner-up Aaron Gordon, VASSY performed a mini-set on Denver’s Ball Arena homecourt, on Pride Night.
“Had a blast,” she writes on her socials. “Such an epic night.”
VASSY turned out to be a good luck charm for the home team, whose roster includes reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic and fellow Aussie, Duke alum Jack White, who signed a two-way contract in the off-season.
The Nuggets held off the San Antonio Spurs, 126-101. And for the record, VASSY got to keep Gordon’s jersey.
Watch below and keep an ear out for the fresh cut “Pieces,” by VASSY X Bingo Players X Disco Fries, due out this Friday (Nov. 11).
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Basketball season is back! The 2022-2023 NBA season launched on Tuesday (Oct. 18) with the Golden State Warriors beating the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109, and the Boston Celtics beating the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117.
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For sports fanatics who want to watch their favorite teams face off, there are plenty of affordable streaming options that allow you to watch NBA coverage live and on-demand.
What’s on the NBA scheduled this week? The New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies game will air on Wednesday (Oct. 19) at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by the Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers game will air Thursday (Oct. 20) at 7:30 p.m. on TNT, ahead of the Lakers vs. L.A. Clippers at 10:00 p.m. ET. On Friday (Oct. 21), the Boston Celtics will take on the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and the championship Warriors face the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 p.m. ET.
The NBA season is held from Oct. 18, 2022 until April 10, 2023. See the full schedule of NBA games here.
Read on for details on how to watch games without cable.
How to Watch NBA Games Without Cable
Watch the NBA 2022-2023 season with a free trail from DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, Fubo TV and other platforms that provide live television, and a free trial for at least five days. To make things easier, we’ve collected a short list of some of the more affordable streaming options and what they offer.
For example, Direct TV Stream is $69.99 a month for its cheapest streaming package (75+ channels, unlimited DVR storage, etc.). Right now, Direct TV Stream’s more expensive packages are discounted $10 for the first five months, which means that you can upgrade to the Choice package (105+ channels, unlimited DVR, regional sports networks included) for just $79.99 a month. This limited deal ends Nov. 6.
Direct TV Stream
$69.99/month after 5-day free trial
Thinking about joining NBA League Pass? It’s $14.99 a month after a free trail, but Direct TV Stream and Sling TV subscribers can enjoy a free preview of NBA League Pass until Oct. 24.
Some of the NBA League Pass games scheduled for Wednesday include the Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers, and Houston Rockets vs. Atlanta Hawks. You can order NBA League Pass through Sling TV, Direct TV Stream, Fubo TV, and Prime Video.
NBA League Pass (Prime Video)
$14.99/month after free trial
Join Fubo TV and pay $69.99 a month for 133 channels, over 100 sporting events, cloud DVR (1,000 hours) and streaming from unlimited screens at home. For Spanish-speaking sports fans, Fubo’s Latino package is discounted to $24.99 a month after a one-week free trial.
Another similarly priced option, Vidgo, is $75.95 a month after a 7-day free trial. Meanwhile, Sling TV’s streaming packages are half off (regularly $35/month) and Hulu + Live TV is $69.99 a month for 75+ channels, plus you’ll get access to ESPN+ and Hulu.