Rock
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While he may be best known as one of the gender-bending faces of the shock rock movement, Alice Cooper revealed that heâs not in favor of real gender-affirming care.
In a new interview with Stereogum, the 75-year-old rock star shared his opinions about best-practice medical care for transgender youth, saying that he was âafraid that itâs also a fad.â Using common anti-trans talking points to elaborate, the star said that he felt children were not mature enough to make major decisions about their gender identity.
âI find it wrong when youâve got a 6-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and youâre confusing him telling him, âYeah, youâre a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be,’â he said. âI mean, if you identify as a tree ⌠Iâm going, âCome on! What are we in, a Kurt Vonnegut novel?â Itâs so absurd, that itâs gone now to the point of absurdity.â
Cooper then took aim at âthe whole woke thingâ at large, claiming that society has taken progressive language too far. âWhoâs making the rules?â he asked. âItâs getting to the point now where itâs laughable. If anybody was trying to make a point on this thing, they turned it into a huge comedy. I donât know one person that agrees with the woke thing.â
The âSchoolâs Outâ singer even shared anti-trans rhetoric about access to public bathrooms, claiming that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity would lead to violent crimes.  âA guy can walk into a womanâs bathroom at any time and just say, âI just feel like Iâm a woman todayâ and have the time of his life in there,â Cooper said. âHeâs just taking advantage of that situation ⌠Somebodyâs going to get raped.â
Despite Cooperâs claims, research shows that gender-affirming care significantly reduces rates of depression and suicidality among transgender youth. Meanwhile, medical professionals providing gender-affirming care point out that minors are not able to make these life-altering decisions by themselves, and that the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health do not recommend gender-affirming surgery for anyone under the age of 18.
âPrior to any gender-affirming medical or surgical intervention, all minors must have an intake with a knowledgeable mental health provider internal to our system,â Dr. Joshua D. Safer told Billboard last year. âOnce deemed ready for a medical/surgical intervention, the processes we have for adults are then brought into play.â
The âNo More Mr. Nice Guyâ singer is far from the first rocker to share anti-trans sentiments over the last year. In May, Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley called gender-affirming care âa sad and dangerous fad,â making similar claims to Cooper about children âplayingâ with gender rather than understanding their identity. Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider backed up Stanleyâs comments, saying âthere was a time where I âfelt prettyâ too. Glad my parents didnât jump to any rash conclusions.â Both rockers have since walked back their comments.
Olivia Rodrigo launches at No. 1 on Billboardâs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart for a second time, as âBad Idea Right?â debuts atop the Aug. 26-dated survey. The singer-songwriter first led with âBrutal,â which reigned in its debut week in June 2021. âBad Idea Right?â concurrently bows as Rodrigoâs second No. 1, again after […]
Anitta, D-Nice and Sofia Carson have joined the star-studded lineup of the 2023 Global Citizen Festival slated to take place on the Great Lawn of New Yorkâs Central Park on Sept. 23. The artists join a previously announced list of headliners that includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion, Conan Gray and Stray Kids.
Other performers, activists and actors slated to appear at the event include Bill Nye, Bridget Moynahan, Busy Philipps, Carmelo Anthony, Common, Connie Britton, Danai Gurira, Gayle King, Jordan Fisher, Lewis Pugh, Padma Lakshmi, Phoebe Gates, Rachel Brosnahan and Sophia Bush.
This yearâs Global Citizen Festival campaign is focused on urging governments to take immediate action to address systemic issues around extreme poverty. âWeâre thrilled to join forces with these passionate artists and advocates to call for urgent action to address the climate crisis, demand equity for women and girls and disrupt the cycles holding people in extreme poverty,â said Katie Hill, SVP, Head of Music, Entertainment and Artist Relations, Global Citizen in a statement. âThis yearâs campaign is driving a record number of actions from global citizens around the world, and weâre grateful to this yearâs performers and presenters for leveraging their voices and joining us on the Great Lawn on September 23.â
Tickets for the 2023 Global Citizen Festival are free and can be earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app or here. The festival be broadcast and streamed on ABC, ABC News Live, Apple Music and the Apple TV app, Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, Facebook, Hulu, iHeartRadio, Instagram, Mediacorp, SABC, TikTok, TimesLIVE, Veeps, X, YouTube, the Global Citizen app and globalcitizen.org. Â
Hoobastank is officially a member of the Billion Views Club, as the bandâs music video for its 2004 track âThe Reasonâ just reached the milestone Monday (Aug. 21) on YouTube. The visual for the track, which features current members Doug Robb, Chris Hesse, Dan Estrin as well as original bassist Markku Lappalainen, centers on a […]
After spending this summer criss-crossing Europe on the latest leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour â which began in 2021 â Bob Dylan announced a new slate of 18 North American fall dates on Monday morning (Aug. 21). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The […]
Travis Barker made a young fanâs dreams come true on Friday when the Blink-182 drummer made a surprise visit to 9-year-old blind drummer Grayson Robertsâ lemonade stand and left behind some unforgettable memories.
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The special moment took place at the Dream Factory space in Los Angeles and footage of it blew up over the weekend after social media influencer Charlie Rocket shared it to his Instagram, noting that business at Robertsâ stand had been super slow earlier in the week.
In the video, Rocket showed Barker walking up the stand with two pair of drum sticks in his hand and introducing himself to Roberts. The budding entrepreneur, focused on his biz, asked Barker if he wanted a cup of lemonade as the drummer offered up much more. âI brought you some drumsticks and I also brought some donations, I brought some money,â Barker said, stuffing some bills into the donation jar and handing over the sticks.
âI saw a video of you playing drums and singing,â Barker added.
After Barker said heâd love some lemonade, Roberts asked if it would be possible for them to sing and play together. âI would love to,â a smiling Barker replied. âNo way!â Roberts said in disbelief as he pointed to the spot where his kit was set up. âYou want to sing or play drums?â Barker asked.
With Roberts on the mic, Barker quickly learned the beat to Adam Jensenâs 2017 anthem âStreet Fight,â as an adoring audience clapped, cheered and shouted Graysonâs name afterwards.
â@travisbarker came to help @graysons_view drum up some business at his lemonade stand!!!â wrote Rocket. âLol what a great soul Travis barker is. Thank you to @katietua @mikeytua @lukismac @sweetyhigh for helping make this happen !!!â In a previous post, Rocket described rolling up on Robertsâ stand â which explained that he was born blind and that he is determined not to let that stop him from doing âeverything you can doâ â and asking the community to come together to help the young man reach his dream of traveling the world.
Roberts also shared a video of the encounter, writing, âTHANK YOU travis for taking a break while filming your music video to come by my Lemonade stand and allowing me to perform with you!! It was SO amazing And thank you for letting me choose the color of sprinkles because who doesnât love sprinkles?!â
Blink wrapped the first leg of their 2023 world tour on July 16 with a show at Nashvilleâs Bridgestone Arena. The band will pick things up again on Sept. 1 with a gig at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland for a European swing that will keep them on the road through an Oct. 16 gig in Manchester at the AO Arena; after that they will swing into Las Vegas in late Oct. for the When We Were Young Festival before moving on to Australian and New Zealand in Feb. and March 2024.
Check out footage of Barkerâs jam session below.
It was less than four months ago that Kid Rock got so worked up about Bud Light teaming with transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney for its Bud Light Easy Carry Contest during the NCAAâs March Madness that the âDonât Tell Me How To Liveâ singer tried to destroy 12-packs of Bud Light with a semi-automatic rifle as he yelled, âFâk Bud Light and fâk Anheuser-Busch.â
What a difference a few months make.
In July, CNN reported that despite his apparent animus for the worldâs largest beer company, Rock, 52 â who didnât specifically mention Mulvaney (or the word âtransâ) in his video, or call for a boycott of products from Bud Light parent company AB Inbev â was still selling Bud Light at his Nashville restaurant; Newsweek additionally reported at the time that Rockâs restaurant/bar was selling Bud Light during the June 9-12 Country Music Association Festival and that a Twitter user told the magazine that a waitress at the bar said âthey actually stopped selling it for a week right after [Rockâs video], then started selling it again.â
And over the weekend the rapper-turned-country rocker was pictured enjoying a tall cool Bud Light at Colt Ford show in Nashville according to TMZ, which caused a torrent of comments on Twitter (now X) about the apparent hypocrisy from the âDevil Without a Causeâ star. âDamn, never thought Iâd have to give Kid Rock the Bud Light treatment but here we are,â wrote one commenter. âJust shot up all my Kid Rock vinyl and CDs. I loved Kid Rock, but I hope Kid Woke goes broke.â
Another, Fred Guttenberg â father of murdered Parkland High School student Jaime Guttenberg and gun control advocate â had equally harsh words for Rock, writing, âItâs just hard to keep a good beer down and I LOVE BUD LIGHT!!! Apparently, so does @KidRock. To all of you hypocritical lunatics who actually started this bullsât attack on my favorite beer, cheers to you.â
Billboard has not been able to confirm the veracity of the pictures of Rock drinking the Bud Light at press time and a spokesperson for the singer had not returned a request for comment.
At the time of CNNâs report, it was unclear if the band on Bud Light at Rockâs Music City establishment had been lifted, or if one had ever been put in place, but at the time of the Mulvaney controversy Rock appeared happy to jump on the bandwagon of ban-calling against Bud Light.
While country singer John Rich pledged at the time to pull Bud Light from his Nashville bar Redneck Riviera and Travis Tritt said he would remove the formerly best-selling brew in the nation from his tour rider in the midst of the transphobic backlash against the Mulvaney promotional stunt, Rock never specifically said heâd stop selling it at his Broadway district spot.
In the original Mulvaney clip from April, she revealed that the company helped her celebrate her â365th day of womanhoodâ with âpossibly the best gift everâ â a commemorative can of Bud Light with Mulvaneyâs face on the side that was not commercially available, but instead meant as a personalized one-off souvenir.
Check out some of the comments about Rockâs Bud Light moment.
Iâve seen multiple different sources. Itâs confirmed. Without principles we are nothing. I choose to move on from Kid Woke but everyone else can make their own decision.â Anthony Carrey (@SocksMoney187) August 19, 2023
Damn, never thought Iâd have to give Kid Rock the Bud Light treatment but here we are.Just shot up all my Kid Rock vinyl and CDs. I loved Kid Rock, but I hope Kid Woke goes broke.â Anthony Carrey (@SocksMoney187) August 18, 2023
It’s just hard to keep a good beer down and I LOVE BUD LIGHT!!! Apparently, so does @KidRock. To all of you hypocritical lunatics who actually started this bullshit attack on my favorite beer, cheers to you đť https://t.co/DH0FUOpYLoâ Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) August 19, 2023
First, he doesnât just vow to boycott Bud Light, he shoots a case of it on camera with an AR-15. Then, not only does he go back to immediately drinking Bud Light again but he does it in public and gets caught. Canât make this stuff up. https://t.co/vAbBJOKdyFâ Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) August 18, 2023
Concerts and other events in Southern California have been canceled due to Tropical Storm Hilary, which weakened from a hurricane before it made landfall Sunday (Aug. 20).
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Below, find all the concerts that have been canceled or rescheduled due to the impact of Hilary. The list will be updated with any additional announcements of cancelations and postponements.
My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes
My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxesâ Aug. 20 concert âhas been postponed due to the weather emergency caused by Hurricane Hilary,â the Hollywood Bowl announced. The show has been rescheduled for Aug. 28. âYour tickets â including parking, shuttle, and park and ride tickets â are valid for the new date with no action needed on your part. For other ticket options, including exchange, account credit, donation, or refund, please contact Audience Services at information@laphil.org. Please stay safe and take all necessary precautions,â the update said.
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Michael Franti and Spearheadâs Sunday concert at the Greek Theatre has been postponed until Sept. 15 âdue to the weather emergency,â the venue said. Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new date.
Chicago
Chicagoâs Sunday concert at Costa Mesaâs Pacific Amphitheatre has been rescheduled for Sept. 5. Original tickets will be honored on the new date, or refunds will be available via point of purchase.
Interstellar Music Festival
The Interstellar music festival canceled shows scheduled for this weekend at the Los Angeles Waterfront in San Pedro. âWe are deeply sorry to share that the cosmic forces havenât aligned in our favor for Interstellar this weekend,â festival organizers wrote in an update on the festâs website. âIn light of the approaching Hurricane Hilary, local authorities have made the tough call that the weather conditions pose a significant risk to our festival grounds.â
Gloria Molina Grand Parkâs Sunday Sessions
The music event, scheduled for Sunday, was canceled âdue to the predicted high winds and heavy rain stemming from Hurricane Hilary,â an update read. âWhile weâll miss gathering with you all, weâre excited to announce that weâre working on something special to keep our community spirit alive!â Virtual offerings from Rich Medina, DJ Roxcizzle, Lacey IQ and Utopia will stream at twitch.tv/grandpark_la from 3-8 p.m. local time.
Young the Giant
San Diego State University postponed Sundayâs concert, which has been rescheduled for Sept. 5 at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU. Tickets are valid for the new date, or refunds will be issued.
KCRWâs Summer Nights
KCRWâs Summer Nights concert on Sunday, set to take place at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, was postponed. The show will now be on Sept. 10.
Judy Collins and Sophie B. Hawkins
Judy Collins and Sophie B. Hawkins were scheduled to perform Sunday at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai. The concert will still go on, but it has been relocated to the indoor Oxnard Performing Arts Center in Oxnard.
Additional Events Affected by Hilary
The Hollywood Reporter reports other events in the Los Angeles area were also canceled, including Sundayâs Dodgers game against the Miami Marlins (which was pushed to Saturday afternoon) and the L.A. Galaxyâs match against Real Salt Lake (rescheduled for Oct. 14).
The HollyShorts Film Festival, which has been going on since Aug. 10, called off its finale for Sunday. A rep for the festival said a paired-down version of the awards was instead set for midnight Saturday, according to THR.
Disneyland Resortâs theme parks will close early on Sunday due to the storm, with a 9 p.m. PT closing scheduled for Disney California Adventure Park and a 10 p.m. PT closing for Disneyland Park.
âI never feel uglier than when Iâm in LA,â Noah Kahan joked to the sold-out crowd at Los Angelesâ Greek Theatre on Friday night (Aug. 11), which was immediately met by roaring laughter and assurance from fans.
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Though itâs unlikely that Kahan could ever feel ugly in his sleek white jacket featuring a photo of his beloved German Shepard and his album title Stick Season written across the back, the balance between humor and touching moments encouraging love and healing were prominent throughout the evening.
Shortly after he received a Taylor Swift-themed friendship bracelet from a fan in the front row that read âfolkwhore,â the singer ran through fan-favorite and heart-wrenching tracks from his 2022 deluxe album Stick Season (Weâll All Be Here Forever), weaved with throwback hits like âFalse Confidenceâ and âMaine.â
Looking out into the audience, who showed just how much they love him by belting out every word to every song, Kahan showed his love back before performing âYouâre Gonna Go Far,â a song about taking risks. âI know a lot of people here in LA arenât from LA. Theyâve taken big risks in their lives to come here,â he sweetly told the audience. âRemember that the people back home love you and are happy youâre doing well.â
He also showed his love throughout the show by encouraging his fans to go to therapy if itâs accessible to them. âI had all of these dark feelings and thoughts for a lot of my childhood and I just lied about them to my therapist for 10 years and never said anything real,â he recalled. âI was so lucky and privileged to go to therapy, but I still lied because it was scary to confront what I was actually feeling. I know it looks like Iâve been divorced two times, Los Angeles, I look old as sâ but Iâm only 26 [laughs] When I was 23, I started being honest and telling the truth to my therapist and I started feeling happier for the first time. It was strange for me but it felt good.â
He continued, âThe happiest person in here should be in therapy. It could save your life.â
In general, the show was as cathartic and therapeutic as it gets without actually sitting down with a therapist, as fans in the audience were tearing up constantly as they heard songs that resonate with them, a unique quality of Kahanâs music that isnât as common in the mainstream music scene these days. The swell of emotions all culminated with the setâs final song, âHomesick,â as all 6,000 people in the crowd, who are chasing dreams likely in the city they did not grow up in, came together to sing and feel at home.
Buy tickets for Kahanâs Stick Season tour here, and check out the full set list below.
Noah Kahan Set List:
All My LoveEverywhere, EverythingShe Calls Me BackFalse ConfidenceNew PerspectiveNo ComplaintsGrowing SidewaysMaineYour Needs, My NeedsNorthern AttitudeDial DrunkCall Your Mom (with Lizzy McAlpine)Youâre Gonna Go FarOrange JuiceHomesick
Encore:The View Between VillagesPaul RevereStick Season (with Joy Oladokun)
Itâs been 15 years since Guns Nâ Roses dropped their last album, so at this point the bandâs fans are psyched to hear any new music from the hard-touring Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. And in typical Guns fashion, their new single, âPerhaps,â is actually pretty old, and itâs journey to our ears was circuitous, at best.
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The good news is that âPerhapsâ has all the elements you want from a GNR song: it opens with a piano-pounding riff and singer Axl Roseâs signature howl and features a menacing, bluesy guitar underpinning a twisty, turgid ballad bisected by one of Slashâs classic hurricane solos.
Itâs the first new song weâve heard since Rose â who had been touring with an expansive cast of side players as GNR for years after the bandâs slow-motion implosion in 1996 when Slash quit â reunited with Slash and bassist Duff McKagan in 2016. And, in a pointed about-face from the often pugnacious, no-apologies lyrical attack of the bandâs classic catalog, the now-61-year-old Rose sounds downright contrite and apologetic at points in the song.
âPerhaps I was wrong/ When I didnât see you/ Perhaps I was wrong/ When I didnât believe you,â he sings in the opening lines. âHey, my sense of rejection/ Hey, hey, is no excuse for my behavior/ You pulled the gun/ That shot and crucified my savior,â he continues on the track that reportedly was first recorded during the sessions for the bandâs most recent album, 2008âs Chinese Democracy.
The latter was the first new music from GNR since the 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident? Democracy album took nearly 14 years to complete and featured more than a dozen contributors, with keyboardist Dizzy Reed representing the only link to the bandâs classic lineup.
After poor-quality bootlegs of âPerhapsâ began circulating when the band played it during soundcheck before a June 2023 Tel Aviv show â an unfinished demo version had been floating around the internet for years â Guns fans were surprised last week when âPerhapsâ reportedly leaked via TouchTunes digital jukeboxes according to Blabbermouth.
Though there have been whispers of the revamped GNR recording new music, to date âPerhapsâ falls in line with two other ânewâ songs the band has released recently, two other leftovers that dropped in 2021, âAbsurd (aka Silkworms),â and âHard Skool,â which are also both reportedly from the Chinese Democracy era.
The band also released an official video for the song that features footage of the three iconic members on stage playing to packed stadiums all around the world. Check it out below.
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