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14 Nov 2022

GAYLE Spills the Tea on How Taylor Swift Asked Her to Open for The Eras Tour: ‘I Feel Like This Is a Dream’

GAYLE went to the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday (Nov. 13) and dished about how she ended up as an opener on Taylor Swift‘s upcoming Eras Tour.

“Obviously I’ve known about Taylor, for forever, like my whole entire life — I can’t remember a time where I didn’t know Taylor Swift,” the teen sensation told Entertainment Tonight from the red carpet in Düsseldorf, Germany. “My best friend and I went to [an] awards show and Taylor Swift happened to be there, and I did a performance and some very cool things happened after that.”

The awards show she’s referring to was September’s Nashville Songwriter Awards, where she performed her breakout hit “abcdefu,” which was voted one of the 10 “songs I wish I’d written” by the NSAI Professional Songwriter Members. Honored as the organization’s Songwriter-Artist of the Decade, Swift also happened to be in attendance at the show, and the pair ultimately snapped a cute selfie together.

“She was just like, ‘You did a great performance — I’m gonna call you,’” GAYLE went on. “Now I’m here, and I can’t believe it. I feel like I’m lying. I feel like this is a dream. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

GAYLE is one of many openers on Swift’s tour — including Paramore, Beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, MUNA, HAIM, Gracie Abrams and OWENN — but don’t expect to hear a Taylor song in her own setlist for the shows. “I’m not gonna do a Taylor Swift cover, I feel like for obvious reasons,” she told ET. “She does it all great. I can’t do it any better.”

14 Nov 2022

Harry Styles Helps Pregnant Fans Reveal Their Babies’ Sex During Concerts: Watch

Harry Styles had the crowd at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in the palm of his hand Friday (Nov. 11). During his Love on Tour concert, one fan convinced the 28-year-old pop star to make a huge announcement on her behalf — reveal the sex of her baby on the way — and he absolutely reveled in creating suspense before delivering the news.

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“She’s about to do the single hardest thing in the world there is to do,” Styles began. “I’m sure it’s going to be fine — the most beautiful thing there is to do in the world!”

The Grammy winner also checked with the fan named Sydney on how far along she was: four months. “Are you sure you want me to do this?” he continued. “Los Angeles, this is a Friday night you will never forget.”

“Can I please get some tense gender reveal music,” he added to his band. Slyly twirling and dancing around the stage, Styles had his audience contribute to the anticipation by leading them in a round of “Ooooohs.”

“I know something you don’t know!” he teased. “What do you want it to be? OK, here we go. This is … very nice. Something for the fourth album, perhaps.”

“This is called edging,” he said, drawing out the moment once again, before finally announcing the news. “It’s … a … girl!”

The “As It Was” singer has been stationed at the Forum for about three weeks, performing a residency of 15 shows at the venue in support of his May-released third studio album Harry’s House. One could argue, though, that he’s now beginning a residency of conducting reveals for parents-to-be, as he did a second one just one night after Sydney’s.

On Saturday (Nov. 12), an expectant mom once again asked an obliging Styles to reveal her baby’s sex. “‘Tis the season for gender reveals, we had one last night!” he proclaimed, taking a sealed envelope from the fan named Shawna.

Once again, Styles drew out the suspense for as long as he could.

“How much longer would you like me to make this go on for?” he asked Shawna. “It’s a girl!”

Watch Harry Styles’ recent baby reveals at the Kia Forum below:

14 Nov 2022

2022 Latin Grammys: Complete List of Performers, Presenters, How to Watch & More

The 2022 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony is taking place Thursday (Nov. 17) live from the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The telecast will air on Univision at 8 p.m. ET, and it will also be available on HBO MAX.

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Colombian powerhouse performer Karol G and king of bachata Romeo Santos have been added to the roster of performers of the 23rd annual ceremony. Additional artists performing for the first time are Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation scholarship recipients Xavier Cintrón, Valentina García, Nicolle Horbath and Sergio de Miguel Jorgequera, who will join Latin Grammy winner Nicky Jam on stage.  

The three-time Latin Grammy-nominated Karol G is up for record of the year and song of the year for “Provenza,” as well as for best urban song with “MAMIII.” Romeo Santos is nominated for best long-form music video for his documentary Romeo Santos: King of Bachata; as the frontman of Aventura, he garnered a nod for best urban fusion/performance. 

On Sept. 20, the Latin Recording Academy announced this year’s nominees, with Bad Bunny leading the way with 10 nods. Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera followed closely with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro with eight; and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler and Tainy with seven. Last year’s big winner, Camilo, garnered six nominations this year. 

Performers 

The following artists are among those who are confirmed to take center stage at the 2022 Latin Grammy Award Show: 

  • Ángela Aguilar
  • Aymée Nuviola
  • Banda Los Recoditos
  • Camilo
  • Carin León
  • Carlos Vives
  • Chiquis
  • Christian Nodal 
  • Christina Aguilera
  • Elvis Costello
  • Gente de Zona
  • Goyo
  • Jesse & Joy 
  • John Legend
  • Jorge Drexler
  • Julio Reyes Copello
  • Karol G
  • Los Bukis 
  • Marc Anthony
  • Marco Antonio Solís
  • Mariachi Sol de México de José Hernández
  • Nicky Jam
  • Nicole Zignago
  • Nicolle Horbath
  • Rauw Alejandro
  • Romeo Santos
  • Rosalía
  • Sebastian Yatra
  • Sergio de Miguel Jorgequera
  • Silvana Estrada 
  • Sin Bandera
  • Valentina García
  • Xavier Cintrón

Presenters

  • Adrián Uribe
  • Alison Solís
  • Becky G
  • Cami
  • Eden Muñoz
  • Farina
  • Fito Páez
  • Fonseca
  • Georgina Rodríguez
  • Kany García
  • KURT
  • Ludmilla
  • Luis Figueroa
  • Luisa Sonza
  • Macarena Achaga
  • María Becerra
  • Marla Solís
  • Miguel Ángel Muñoz
  • Tainy
  • Victor Manuelle
  • Yalitza Aparicio

Hosts

  • Anitta 
  • Luis Fonsi
  • Laura Pausini
  • Thalía 

Person of the Year 

  • Marco Antonio Solís

Prior to the Latin Grammys, the Latin Recording Academy will honor Mexican icon Marco Antonio Solís as Person of the Year. The gala in his honor will take place the day before, on Wednesday, Nov. 16. “Marco Antonio Solís is a living legend and one of the most emblematic figures in Latin music,” Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said in a statement.

How to Watch

The telecast will air on Univision Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET. It will also air on cable channel TNT and on Televisa Channel 5. The ceremony will also be available on HBO MAX in Spanish only. 

14 Nov 2022

Dave Chappelle’s ‘SNL’ Monologue on Antisemitism Slammed by ADL Leader: ‘Why Does Our Trauma Trigger Applause?’

Saturday Night Live has reliably tapped Dave Chappelle three times to offer some of his patented unfiltered commentary following recent major national elections. But this weekend the leader of a prominent Jewish civil rights group said the envelope-pushing stand-up went too far in an opening monologue in which he took on the recent rash of antisemitic statements and controversies surrounding rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) and suspended NBA player Kyrie Irving.

“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism,” tweeted ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt of the 15-minute show opener that critics said perpetuated Jewish stereotypes while seemingly attempting to humorously demystify them. “Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”

Chappelle — who has repeatedly courted criticism in a series of stand-up specials in which he engaged in what critics have labeled hurtful transphobic and homophobic stereotypes — opened the bit by unfolding a piece of paper and reading a statement. “I denounce antisemitism in all its forms. And I stand with my friends in the Jewish community,” he said. “And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time.”

Chappelle then reeled off a series of recent incidents in which Ye has been accused of antisemitism and the harsh responses to his actions and words while joking that in his 35-year career in comedy he learned one very important lesson: never say the words “the” and “Jews” in sequence. It was one of several lines that amplified a Jewish stereotypes instead of decrying in a manner that many Jewish leaders and commentators did not find amusing during a time of heightened antisemitic sentiment. The provocative Lenny Bruce-style mono was repeatedly undercut when the bit steered directly into the same dark territory Chappelle thought he was shining a light on according to critics.

“I’ve been to Hollywood and — no one get mad at me — I’m just telling you what I saw… It’s a lot of Jews,” Chappelle whispered. “Like a lot.” Chappelle then doubled and tripled-down on his line of logic, suggesting that the “delusion that Jews run show business” is not a “crazy thing to think,” but that “it’s a crazy thing to say out loud in a climate like this.” The suggestion that the thought is okay, but the action is not got even more muddled when Chappelle pivoted to another recent antisemitic controversy surrounding Nets player Irving.

In the comedian’s telling, despite the persecution of Jews all over the world, “you can’t blame that on Black Americans,” a stunning line that drew silence from the normally raucous studio audience; Irving has been suspended by the Nets after posting a link to an antisemitic, Holocaust-denying film and then refusing to apologize for his actions. The Jerusalem Post succinctly summed up their feelings about the Chappelle monologue in a tweet that read, “Chappelle said during his SNL monologue that he ‘denounces antisemitism in all its forms’… before promptly engaging in antisemitic stereotypes.”

His opening was also denounced by Carly Pildis, a contributor to Jewish magazine The Forward and director of community engagement for the ADL, who said Chappelle’s mono was off-base because it merely further stoked the flames of division. “Here is the thing, Dave Chapelle wants to joke about antisemitism but he isn’t living with the consequences of it,” she wrote. “Antisemitic incidences are at a historic high in America, but that doesn’t get mentioned. Probably cause it’s not actually funny. It’s scary as hell.”

NPR TV critic Eric Deggans said he wasn’t sure what a professional athlete posting a link to an antisemitic film with no context and then taking “several long days” to disavow the film’s anti-Jewish content has to do with whether you can “blame” Black Americans for the plight of Jewish Americans. “What I do know, is that one of comedy’s boldest and most incisive voices had a chance to lend insight to the long struggle Black America has had with antisemitism,” Deggans wrote. “But instead, his monologue seemed filled with justification and minimization – failing to mention, for instance, allegations that Ye has expressed admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.”

In April, the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks anti-Semitic behavior nationwide, reported a 34% rise in anti-Semitic incidents in 2021 (to 2,717), which averaged out to more than seven such incidents per day. At press time it did not appear that Chapelle had reacted to the criticism of his SNL monologue and a spokesperson for the comedian had not returned a request for comment.

See Greenblatt’s tweet below.

14 Nov 2022

BTS Expertly Hits Choreography in ‘Run BTS’ Dance Practice Video: Watch

Missed BTS in concert? Fear not, ARMY, the Bangtan Boys have got you covered. On Sunday (Nov. 13), BTS shared a video of them practicing their choreography for the high-energy track “Run BTS” with full support from a large group of backup dancers.

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After taking turns showing off their moves solo and in pairs, members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook convene and hit complicated footwork and arm movements as the audio from the chorus blares, “Run (don’t tell me bye, bye)/ Run (you made me cry, cry)/ Run (love is a lie, lie)/ (Don’t tell me, don’t tell me, don’t tell me bye, bye).”

“Run BTS” charted at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a week on the chart in June. The track is on the K-pop group’s anthology album, Proof. The LP — a collection of the group’s hits, demos and fan-favorite tracks — was released in June and spent a total of 21 weeks on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at No. 1.

Proof was dropped as a celebration of BTS’ ninth anniversary. BigHit Music, the group’s management company, said in a statement, “The BTS anthology album that embodies the history of BTS will be released as they begin a new chapter as an artist that has been active for nine years to look back on their endeavors … The anthology album Proof that consists of three CDs includes many different tracks — including three all-new tracks — that reflect the thoughts and ideas of the members on the past present and future of BTS.”

Watch the “Run BTS” dance practice below.

14 Nov 2022

Lizzo Announces Second North American Leg of Her ‘Special’ Tour

Lizzo is making North America feel doubly special. On Monday (Nov. 14), the three-time Grammy winner announced that she’s circling back through the United States and Canada next year for a second leg of her 2022 Special Tour, adding 17 new dates to her schedule.

The second leg — dubbed The Special 2our — will kick off April 21, 2023, in Knoxville, Tenn., just over a month after Lizzo’s European stint is set to conclude. She’ll make stops in Montreal, Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego and more before closing out in Palm Desert, Calif., at Acrisure Arena.

Just as she did for Lizzo’s first North American leg, Latto will join the “Truth Hurts” musician as a special guest for the second round of U.S. and Canadian shows.

The “About Damn Time” singer-songwriter first toured through North America in support of her album Special this fall, embarking on a nearly 30-date trek beginning in September. In fact, that initial leg isn’t even over yet — Lizzo still has two more shows lined up for Nov. 18 and 19 at the Kia Forum.

After that, the Yitty founder will take a few months off before returning to the stage in February, when she’ll begin her run of shows in Europe.

Ticket sales for the second leg dates will begin Friday (Nov. 18) at 10 a.m. local time on Lizzo’s website. See the full list of newly announced North American shows below:

The Special 2our 2023

  • April 21 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
  • April 22 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
  • April 25 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
  • April 26 – Memphis, TN – FedExForum
  • May 04 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
  • May 06 – Hartford, CT – XL Center
  • May 09 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
  • May 10 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
  • May 12 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
  • May 13 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
  • May 16 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
  • May 17 – Chicago, IL – United Center
  • May 19 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
  • May 20 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
  • May 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
  • May 25 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
  • June 02 – Palm Desert, CA – Acrisure Arena

14 Nov 2022

With a Looming Recession, Will Music Fans Still Buy Concert Tickets?

This past summer, the second-largest U.S. bank, Bank of America, looked at how its customers’ spending on entertainment for the month of May compared with a year ago. What researchers found was surprisingly positive for the touring industry, and there are signs the good news is holding steady, at least for now.

Spending on concert, theater and movie tickets in May was up across all income groups. Moderate- and high-income earners — households bringing in over $50,000 and over $125,000 in annual income, respectively — exhibited the most pent-up demand, with spending levels up more than 40% in May compared with May 2021.

Demand among lower-income consumers — households earning less than $50,000 a year — was up almost as much, rising roughly 38% year to year.

In October, Bank of America surveyed its customers again to ask if they expect to increase spending in the next 12 months in a number of categories including in-home entertainment. With inflation cutting into or erasing most Americans’ pandemic cash buffers, credit card spending is on the rise, and with companies proactively laying off staff in anticipation of a recession, 21% said they plan on reducing what they spend on in-home entertainment either moderately or significantly in the next 12 months. (Sixty percent said they planned no change to their spending.)

Bank of America does not have current data on whether consumers plan to cut back on concerts and other entertainment outside their homes, so the live-music industry will have to hope that consumers will pare down their audio and video streaming service subscriptions so that they can continue seeing their favorite acts at local venues while enjoying their concession fare and buying merchandise.

Goldman Sachs analysts expect they will. Although they predict growth in the global live-music industry to slow somewhat next year, they forecast it will still put up a 4% compound annual growth rate from 2023 to 2030.

In 2022 so far, the industry has seen 5% growth in revenue despite a number of high-profile tour cancellations. Growth this year is on par with the 5% compound annual growth rate the industry experienced from 2007 to 2019.

Looking at the numbers on a more granular level reveals that the global live-music industry grew most sharply between 2007 and 2009 at the onset of the global financial crisis.

During that time, industry revenue rose from $17 billion in 2007 to over $20 billion in 2009, according to research by Goldman Sachs. But between 2010 and 2015, the industry had several years of essentially no growth as the effects of the crisis — unemployment above 10%, nationwide foreclosures — caused deep financial pain.

Even then, the live-music industry grew overall by roughly $3 billion, from $22 billion to $25 billion, during that period of austerity.

Music is often called recession-proof, and while that may hold true, the touring industry feels vulnerable, given the on-again, off-again reality that artists, promoters, venues and their support have had to contend with through the pandemic. For now, industry experts say consumers continue to spend, the industry’s revenue will continue to grow, and even in a worsening economic climate, the shows will go on.

14 Nov 2022

Nickelback Reflects on How Far They’ve Come: ‘We Just Didn’t Quit on Ourselves’

It’s been over five years since Nickelback released a new album, but one of Canada’s biggest rock exports has finally returned with Get Rollin’ — and its ’70s-styled album cover with a beach-bound van and spray-painted title certainly belies the classic-rock touches within the grooves.

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Whereas the quartet’s last album, 2017’s Feed the Machine, embraced a heavier musical direction, the new album (out Friday, Nov. 18) contrasts bombast with many moments of contemplation and introspection. Working once again with producer Chris Baseford, Nickelback brings its trademark swagger to tracks like “San Quentin” and “Vegas Bomb,” while “Steel Still Rusts” and “Tidal Wave” take more melodic and even haunting turns.

“San Quentin” hit No. 9 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart (dated Nov. 5), where the band has had eight No. 1 hits and 20 total in the top 10. Seven of its 10 albums have reached the top 10 of Billboard 200 albums, including the diamond-certified All the Right Reasons peaking at No. 1 in 2005. According to Luminate, in the United States alone, Nickelback has earned a combined 31.6 million equivalent album units, and its catalog has tallied a combined 4.89 billion on-demand official streams.

Brothers Chad and Mike Kroeger (frontman-guitarist and bassist, respectively) sat down with Billboard to discuss Get Rollin’, their maturation through the years, unexpected cover songs and a forthcoming band documentary. Chad also has recently been correcting the perpetual mispronunciation of the siblings’ last name — it actually sounds like “Kruger.” (A different gaffe regarding the band generated some lighthearted headlines earlier this year.)

Some songs here indicate a bit of heartache, like “Tidal Wave” and “Standing in the Dark,” and then “Steel Still Rusts” and “Horizon” give the vibe of searching for something and feeling displaced. Are these related to people whom you know?

Chad Kroeger “Horizon,” to me, just feels like unrequited love. When you’ve got those feelings for someone, but you’re not sure if the other person is willing to leap at the same time because you’re such good friends – that’s where that one comes from. I’ve definitely been stuck in the friend zone and wanted more out of a relationship, and realized that the other person wanted to stay friends … It’s really tough to stay friends after you’ve put your feelings out there. There’s this [feeling of] “I just really kind of want to crawl under a rock right now and hide.” (Laughs.) It’s something I think a lot of people have gone through, and it made for great subject matter on this record.

Was “Steel Still Rusts” inspired by a specific person that you know?

Chad Yeah, 100%. Our first bodyguard. Him telling us these stories about being in conflict overseas and missing the birth of his children and all of these different things. Some really, really unpleasant things that would keep you up at night. Then, coming back, he remembers standing on the corner — I think he was in San Diego — and he looked down and still had sand from the desert on his boots. He was still wearing his fatigues. He said just looking over to Starbucks and then looking down at what you just brought back from a war zone that’s still on your feet is a little bizarre.

It was the stories that he would tell me … and [him not getting] the best treatment when he got home. And I’m not talking about Vietnam, but just trying to get help from [Veterans Affairs]. Just a ton of nightmarish stuff … It was eye-opening and jaw-dropping at the same time.

Mike Kroeger You did a really, really good job with that song, Chad. The lyrics and the way you wrote that — it still gets me every time I listen to it, really. Honestly, it’s a real gut punch for me because I know the guy, I know that story, and you put it so well.

Chad Thank you.

The band wrote a lot more party-hearty and decadent songs back in the day, and that has diminished over time. In the setlist now are fewer songs concerned with sex, and more songs like these new tracks we’re discussing. Was this a conscious choice?

Chad When you’re in your twenties and you’re standing onstage, singing some of the stuff that, I think, is hilarious — I mean, we got to start a song with, “I like your pants around your feet.” I think that’s absolutely hilarious, and they played it on the radio. We have a song where the hook line is, “You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.” And they played that on the radio. That’s “Weird Al” [Yankovic] to me. I think it’s the funniest thing, and the fact that you can listen to that and think that we take ourselves seriously is in itself laughable.

But yeah, you get to a certain age where … I’m 47 years old, and there’s certain things that you just don’t want to see a 47-year-old dude sing onstage. So the subject matter has definitely changed. There’s moments where I look over at [guitarist] Ryan [Peake] when he has to harmonize with certain lines. He’s got a daughter, and I just watch him squirm. He gets so squeamish when he has to sing some of this stuff, and I just think it’s so funny.

You did a shredding cover of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” in 2020 with guitarist Dave Martone, and last year, you collaborated on a sea shanty rendition of “Rockstar,” complete with a sailor-inspired TikTok clip. Who was doing what drugs when you came up with these ideas?

Mike (Laughs.)

Chad The shanty thing came through our band assistant, Brad, and he found these guys called The Lottery Winners on TikTok. I think it was just the guitar player initially. … Brad’s like, “Dude, we have to reach out to this guy and just say, ‘Would you be interested in doing this with all of us?’ And really lean into this and have some fun with it.”

I wasn’t going to go to the level I went to until I saw Ryan standing in profile, looking out at the ocean on the rocks [for the TikTok video]. That’s literally 40 steps from his living room because he was living right on the water in West [Vancouver]. He just went out there and he put on a knit cap, and he’s just looking very sailor. He started singing this thing. He’s all serious. I got his footage first, and I was like, “I have to pull the boat around.” I went down by the barn I’ve got back there, and I pulled this boat up into my front yard. Brad got a lighting package and he lit me up, and he’s on the back of the truck. I got this sailor’s hat and put on this jacket, and then we were just so committed to this thing. It’s like, “Don’t half-ass it, just go all the way and be silly with it and have fun.” It was just so lighthearted. I love that stuff.

Mike “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” we had sitting around as an idea for a while that didn’t get fully finished and was just waiting in the wings. When we decided to go for it, before we moved forward with it, we reached out to Charlie Daniels himself to send him the rough idea to hear it and get his approval. And he actually did approve of it. He heard it and said he liked it. He was alive when we did it, and he passed [in 2020] before we released it, so he didn’t get to hear the final version of it, unfortunately.

Mike, your family moved from Hawaii to Los Angeles before the pandemic. Your son wants to make music. What was it like to make that transition?

Mike At first, I was kind of curious how it was going to go. Because when we lived in Canada, we lived in the country, way out in a place not unlike Chad’s place. It was not a short drive to everything. You’re apart from everything. Then when we moved to Hawaii, we lived in out-of-the-way country places, too. So, moving to the Hollywood Hills, I was bracing for some kind of culture shock because it is Hollywood. It’s still weird to say that I live here.

Yesterday when I walked my dog, I saw a deer from my house, so it’s not exactly the concrete jungle. We got coyotes, we got deer, we got owls. We got all that stuff here. I think it’s awesome. We’re in this little pocket of nature that’s really nice, and we can just shut the door and hide out here, and if we want to see what the big, scary world looks like, we go out there.

The band has been working on a documentary for a few years. How is it going to differ from what we’ve seen from you in interviews and onstage? What types of revelations can we expect?

Chad We go back to our hometown, and you can see the house that Mike and I grew up in.

Mike The house that we didn’t grow up in. (Laughs.)

Chad Yeah, that I was rarely at. I think I left when I was 14 and moved out for a while. But we go back to our hometown [of Hanna], and then we play a gig there, and we filmed it. But it’s with our old singer, Scott [Holman], and then we got up and played like three songs. It wasn’t really supposed to be about us playing Nickelback songs. It was about us being back in the old iteration of the band in the early ’90s. We just had a camera crew follow us for about four and a half years and film all kinds of stuff. I think they did a really good job.

Mike There’s some really cool moments of frankness in there that you’re not going to get in this interview. (Group laughter.) I’m sorry.

After being in this band and living this life since 1995, is there any major life lesson you can impart to fans? Any motto you have?

Mike If I can be indulged to speak on behalf of Nickelback here, I think the motto is that the experience that we’ve had, our best move was just to never stop. The thing we did that I think has brought us to this point is that we just didn’t quit on ourselves, and I think that’s something that a lot of people do. They give up on themselves and quit on themselves. I don’t know if our fans just started to like our music or if they just gave up because we just kept pounding until they were going to like it.

Chad You’re going to like us, goddamn it! Whether you like it or not, you’re going to like us!

Mike One thing they call it in Canada is stick-to-itiveness — just keep staying on the path, keeping your eyes down range, and don’t stop moving forward.

14 Nov 2022

What Comeback? For Many Indie Acts, the Touring Rebound Never Arrived

When Live Nation reported $1.8 billion in first-quarter revenue in May, CEO Michael Rapino told investors, “Artists are back on the road and fan demand has never been stronger.” But while the concert business has largely returned to financial health in 2022 after a wobbly recovery last year, a number of acts eager to get back on the road and tap back into their primary income stream have instead found prohibitive costs that would significantly eat into or eliminate profits. And that has left them frustrated, if not furious, that the bullish picture painted by promoters and venues has eluded them.

A confluence of devastating economic factors — gas prices, artists flooding venues to make up revenue lost in the pandemic, airport chaos, supply chain shortages for tour buses, drivers, crew and equipment — has throttled even the heartiest of touring acts, especially indie artists. “The smaller shows are getting annihilated,” says Brian Ross, manager of Thievery Corporation, Guerilla Toss and Forty Feet Tall. He estimates net tour profits dropped 10% to 15% in spring and summer due to higher expenses.

Since Rapino’s rosy report in the spring, numerous previously successful touring acts have canceled shows for a variety of reasons, from COVID-19 to mental health to expenses, including Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Buffett and Animal Collective. “It’s pretty bad out there,” says Tom Windish, the Wasserman agency head of A&R who represents Billie Eilish, Tove Lo, Viagra Boys and others. “A lot of bands are going out on tour thinking they’re going to make money, and they came home and lost money.” Before the pandemic, Windish adds, many artists made their take-home pay on the “last 20% of the revenue — and now that 20% goes away.”

“It’s an extraordinarily challenging time,” says Joady Harper, founder and CEO of Rocky Road Touring, agent for U.K. bands The Mission, The Chameleons and Theatre of Hate, which postponed their 32-date triple bill club and theater tour until fall 2023 due to exorbitant costs and difficulties procuring visas. “Everybody’s sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs and counting their pennies, because the income they thought they’d have for that period just isn’t there.”

For Harper, whose company represents more than 50 acts, 2022 began in a “high spot,” with artists excited to hit the road post-quarantine and fans buying plentiful tickets. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, gas prices and plane fares shot up, and many tours were “no longer financially viable.”

“All of that on top of the already-tapped mental, spiritual, physical and emotional resources of just having made it through the past few years,” Santigold posted on Facebook in September when she announced she was canceling her tour. “Some of us are finding ourselves simply unable to make it work,” she wrote, striking a chord with frustrated musicians.

With a larger number of acts booked into a pandemic-reduced number of venues, the concert business’ supply-and-demand mechanics have shifted as well. An act that drew 1,000 fans to a show might now wind up with 800 people, according to David T. Viecelli, Chicago agent for Pavement, Joanna Newsom, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Wire. “There’s too much going on, and people aren’t going to four shows a week anymore,” he says.

Even for largely sold-out tours like Pavement, the no-show rate has spiked due to illness or fear of it, which means a drop in merchandise sales, he adds. “It kind of hits you from all sides.”

In order to stay on the road, artists are strategically cutting costs. Ann Henningsen, who manages singer-songwriter Chris Berardo, says he has been performing more frequently with his acoustic trio than his preferred six-man rock band. Ross says Guerilla Toss has cut down on hotels. Sam Luria, who manages New Zealand’s Broods, says the duo’s lighting director programs the technology remotely rather than traveling with the crew. “You’re getting a pretty similar outcome,” he says, “but saving a good amount of money.”

One solution is that bands who might have been poised for headlining tours are pairing with others — Bodysnatcher is opening for Hatebreed, for example. “Maybe you’re not going to sell the same level of merchandise you would, but eventually you will,” says Scott Givens, senior vp of rock and metal at MNRK, the label representing Bodysnatcher. “You don’t want anybody losing money.”

Givens is optimistic the touring economic storm will pass, hoping for a broader recovery in the world economy. “We’ll be fine,” he says. Jeff DeLia, manager of The Blind Boys of Alabama, A.J. Croce and others, acknowledges the financial pain but adds that his clients remain upbeat, telling him, “We know this isn’t going to last, and we’ve just got to fight through these things.”