Rock
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In August 2022, Allison Crutchfield, an A&R executive at ANTI- Records, traveled to Asheville, N.C., on a mission to sign the rising singer-songwriter known as MJ Lenderman. By year’s end, Crutchfield succeeded — and had also joined his tight-knit circle of friends.
“I’ve never had a meeting with an artist where they’ve been like, ‘Just come over and we’ll have a barbecue, we’ll just drink beer and eat,’ ” recalls Crutchfield, who got to know Lenderman at the property where he was living with several others, including members of the ascendant alt-country group Wednesday.
At the time, Lenderman had just released his breakthrough album, Boat Songs, a collection of detailed vignettes set to fuzzed-out country-rock riffs, on independent label Dear Life Records. And the 25-year-old hasn’t slowed down since: In late 2023, Lenderman made his ANTI- debut with his acclaimed live album Live and Loose!; in early 2024, he hit the road with Wednesday, for which he sings and plays guitar; and in March, Waxahatchee (fronted by Crutchfield’s twin sister, Katie) released her lauded album Tigers Blood, for which she invited Lenderman into her small creative circle. Lenderman made his Billboard chart debut, on Adult Alternative Airplay, with his feature on that set’s aching lead single, “Right Back to It,” and performed it alongside Waxahatchee on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
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As Lenderman’s profile grew, he was assembling Manning Fireworks, which is set for release Sept. 6 and his first studio album for ANTI-. “It was kind of strange,” he says when reflecting on the whirlwind that accompanied becoming one of indie rock’s most heralded new artists. “I guess it was more of an obstacle of making the new record — just trying to figure out how to not think about that and make a record like I would before.”
For Lenderman, that wasn’t so long ago. A child of music lovers — “My dad was a Deadhead,” he says, detailing the Derek Trucks and Gov’t Mule shows he saw as a kid growing up in Asheville — Lenderman began playing guitar in early grade school and eventually gravitated toward indie and punk music as a teenager playing in bands around his hometown. Soon he began recording, and the pandemic afforded him more time to complete 2021’s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo and, eventually, Boat Songs.
When Lenderman’s manager, Rusty Sutton, passed along a Boat Songs promo to Crutchfield, she knew she had to sign him “probably 10 seconds” into its opening song. “In a medium like indie rock,” she explains, “where there really is only so much you can do, for someone to do something where they’re honoring the tradition of this type of music but to do it in a way that does totally feel refreshing and like something that we haven’t heard, it’s really exciting.”
Lenderman is heavily influenced by Neil Young — “I can trace back most bands that I like to Neil,” he says, citing the rock legend’s scuzzy mid-’70s phase — and he also counts Drive-By Truckers, Dinosaur Jr. and Will Oldham as key touchstones. But his music has connected with younger audiences thanks to its modern sensibility and the way it careens from absurdist humor to deep, sometimes dark, profundity. (One new song, “Wristwatch,” is an ode to loneliness where the narrator notes that he’s “got a houseboat docked at the Himbo Dome.”)
“Obviously, my real life is going to bleed through a little bit, but I try to keep it more from a third-person perspective,” he says. “I feel like that opens more possibilities — and it’s kind of more fun writing fiction.”
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For Manning Fireworks, recorded whenever he could find time between tours, Lenderman followed a familiar approach, reuniting with producer Alex Farrar at Asheville’s Drop of Sun Studios, where he has recorded tracks several times before. But the album, which expands Lenderman’s country-rock creative palette without losing its signature wit or intimacy, is far from a redux.
“I want my records to be dynamic,” Lenderman says. “For a while, I was trying to maybe take it up a notch and go louder or faster or something — and then that just really wasn’t where I was at. So I decided to go in the opposite direction and make it more acoustic and quieter.”
On Manning Fireworks, Lenderman does a bit of both. The music has never sounded richer, with fiddle and brass bolstering his guitar, but he also explores the flip side, like on album closer “Bark at the Sun,” which ends Manning Fireworks with a multiminute noise outro driven by “bass clarinet abuse drone.” While Lenderman “couldn’t tell you why” he made the creative choice — “it just felt right to me” — it’s indicative of his growth. “There’s a level of confidence coming from [him] at this point that feels different from Boat Songs,” Crutchfield says. “This is a person who is unbelievably talented and now understands how to wield that.”
Not that the eternally nonchalant Lenderman would ever describe his intuitive choices so grandly.
This story appears in the Aug. 24, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Despite what Oasis singer Liam Gallagher promised us 30 years ago, we are, sadly, not going to “Live Forever.” In fact, most of us didn’t think we’d live long enough to see the band perform again after they famously called it quits in 2009 due to the bitter sibling rivalry that both fueled and faltered […]
Bands split up for all kinds of reasons: professional jealousy, money, stolen girlfriends, exhaustion, creative cul de sacs and just plain I-hate-your-stupid-face-and-I-can’t-do-this-anymore rage.
But stuffed animals?
According to the first official interview Noel Gallagher did promoting his shock Oasis reunion with brother Liam, the famously battling siblings broke up the band 15 years ago over a lovey. Oasis superfan Steve Sheward ran into Noel at the Stone Island Shop in London on Thursday (August 29) and while their meet cute didn’t exactly turn into what he said was his boyhood dream of walking into a pub for a pint with the Gallagher bros, it actually was way better than that.
“Trumped that with my children making memories and just hope I can get tickets next year,” Sheward wrote on X alongside a series of snaps with a smiling Noel, as well as a video of one of his sons laying the interview hammer on the band’s songwriter in search of the real reason he and Liam couldn’t work together anymore. After introducing his four children to Noel by saying “this is dad’s legendary band!” Sheward’s kids got right to work.
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His daughter asks, “Wait, is he getting back with his brother?” When Noel answers “yeah” about the 17 UK shows the group announced earlier this week, one of the other boys has a very pressing query.
“Why did you fall out with your brother?” he wonders. Noel, being Noel, deadpans, “‘Cause he stole my teddy bear.” The kids and their dad have a good laugh at that cheeky response.
Smelling a rat, the boy says, “You’re lying!” Noel swears it’s true, doubling down and explaining, “I’m not lying. He stole it in 1978.” One of the other kids isn’t having it, as Sheward’s son, holding a Winnie the Pooh teddy bear, walks away while blurting a perfect approximation of Gallagher attitude, “You’re a fake. See ya!”
The kids are then seen strolling with Gallagher outside the shop as they ask if the black Rolls Royce across the street is his car. Of course the luxury ride is, with Gallagher jokingly asking the youngster if he has his license. As Sheward writes of Gallagher in his post, “A true gentleman in scholar.”
Oasis will play their first shows since 2009 next summer as part of their Oasis Live ’25 world tour, though so far only the dates in England and Ireland have been announced. So far only the Gallaghers have been confirmed for the shows, with the rest of the band lineup not yet announced and other dates around the world promised but not yet formally unveiled.
Tickets for the shows will go on sale to the general public on Saturday (August 31).
See Sheward’s post below.
Bumped into Noel Gallagher Yesterday in the Stone Island Shop in London, boyhood dream to walk into a pub for a Beer with Noel & Liam, trumped that with my children making memories and just hope I can get tickets next year.A true gentleman in scholar 💪 pic.twitter.com/BLjzgK7XgZ— Steve Sheward (@sheward_steve) August 29, 2024
The nearly impossible, the previously unthinkable, is happening: Oasis has announced a reunion, with Liam and Noel Gallagher re-forming the British rock group that made them famous after 15 years and countless verbal jabs at each other. And over the past few days, U.S. music listeners have toasted the unlikely comeback by revisiting (or discovering) […]
Ending his lengthiest break between album releases, MIYAVI is ready to make a powerful return to the global music scene with a new project that the Japanese rock guitarist says “represents a three-year journey of sonic exploration.”
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Billboard can exclusively confirm MIYAVI’s long-awaited Lost in Love album is slated for release this October via Rise Records. Nicknamed the “Samurai Guitarist” for his distinctive slap-guitar style, MIYAVI’s latest project comes after establishing himself as a trailblazer in the industry with more than two decades under his belt, earning multiple hits on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and making his debut on the U.S.-based Alternative Digital Song Sales chart in 2021 with his PVRIS collaboration “Snakes.”
“This album represents a three-year journey of sonic exploration where I allowed the creative process to lead the way,” MIYAVI tells Billboard in a statement. “I intentionally took my time with this record, stepping outside my artistic comfort zone to push my boundaries and craft my best work. It’s been a vulnerable place to be after so many years in the music industry, but I knew it was necessary.”
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With new collaborators such as funk legend George Clinton and enlisting longtime musical partners including Lenny Skolnik, MIYAVI says Lost in Love symbolizes his international viewpoint as an ever-evolving artist.
“I was fortunate to collaborate with a diverse group of artists whose influences have woven their way into the album with MIYAVI’s signature guitar serving as the unifying thread,” the Osaka-born musician adds. “My life has always been split between Japan and the U.S., and that duality is deeply reflected in this album. Some tracks hit hard, while others are just pure fun, giving the record a split personality. Lost in Love is the culmination of a lifetime of experiences, encapsulating all the facets of who I am as MIYAVI.”
The 42-year-old shares such experiences on the LP’s first song, “Broken Fantasy,” which delves into MIYAVI’s near identity crisis after relocating his family from Tokyo to Los Angeles after he found critical and commercial success starring in Unbroken, the Oscar-nominated Angelina Jolie-directed film released in 2014. The George Clinton collaboration “I’m So Amazing” displays his ability to blend different eras and genres into his signature sound for a universal message of how to maintain one’s confidence. The album closes with “One More Time,” a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Melody, highlighting their challenges and love while supporting his family through a demanding career.
Elsewhere, tracks such as “We Stay Up All Night” and “Real Monster” continue MIYAVI’s exploration of identity and connection as displayed on his earlier records, while “Mirror Mirror” offers a raw introspection into the rock star’s inner struggles with lyrics such as “All my life I’m fighting for you” capturing his internal monologue.
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Fans got a taste of Lost in Love via February’s double single release of “Broken Fantasy” and “Tragedy of Us,” as well as the stomping, ominous rock-pop anthem “Eat Eat Eat,” released last month. In addition to his forthcoming album, MIYAVI recently joined Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming action comedy The Wrecking Crew alongside Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa.
MIYAVI’s Lost in Love album drops Oct. 9. Peep the full tracklist below:
“Intro”
“Broken Fantasy”
“Tragedy of Us”
“Eat Eat Eat”
“We Stay Up All Night”
“Real Monsters”
“Mirror Mirror”
“I’m So Amazing” (feat. George Clinton)
“You Already Know”
“Put Your Hands on Me”
“If You Know How to Dance”
“One More Time”
In an era of infinite niches and personalized playlists, rock band Incubus is giving concertgoers the kind of shared experience they had while growing up together in Calabasas, Calif., on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The five-piece is currently on a 10-city arena tour, Morning View + The Hits, and playing its album Morning View in its entirety before tacking on eight or so favorites (such as “Drive” from 1999’s Make Yourself and a cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together”).
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Albums are “nostalgic sort of experiences,” guitarist Mike Einziger tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. For the band’s older fans, the concert might take them back to buying the Morning View CD in 2001 and listening from start to finish. “But people don’t consume music that way anymore,” he says. For the band’s younger fans who are most comfortable streaming playlists, the Morning View tour could be a first time hearing the songs in their original sequence. “So, it’s like kind of, in my opinion, a really welcome now departure from the way that people listen to music,” says Einziger.
For all the familiarity built into playing an album in its entirety, the songs aren’t a carbon copy of the versions originally released in 2001. As the band was re-recording the songs of Morning View for its latest release, Morning View XXIII, it realized they no longer performed the songs as they did when recording the album decades ago. Parts of songs had “naturally evolved into sounding different,” says singer Brandon Boyd. “For example, ‘Echo’ has, like, a different ending that we kind of added to it. The song ‘Nice to Know You,’ which starts off the record, begins differently.”
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The band’s lineup has changed since Morning View was originally released, too. Boyd, Einziger and drummer José Pasillas founded the band in 1991. DJ/keyboardist/multi-purpose player Chris Kilmore has been with the band since 1998. Original bass player Alex Katinuch’s replacement, Ben Kenney, left in February. “We have a new bass player, Nicole Rowe, who’s kind of brought her own sort of new energy into the mix of what we’re doing,” says Einziger. “A new member of the band just changes a lot of the dynamics.”
The Morning View + The Hits tour stops Thursday (Aug. 29) at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, goes to Boston’s TD Garden on Aug. 31 and heads west before finishing at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Sept. 12.
Listen to the entire interview with Brandon Boyd and Mike Einziger via the embedded Spotify player below, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music or Everand.
Coldplay’s sprawling Music of the Spheres World Tour – 156 shows on four continents over two and a half years so far – continues, taking the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Brits brought in $72.2 million and sold 575,000 tickets over 11 shows in July.
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It’s the fourth time that Coldplay has led the monthly review, all of which happened during its current tour (the monthly Boxscore charts launched in February 2019), following victories in July 2022, March 2023 and January of this year. The first of those was while the band played in Europe. The second was for shows in South America, and the third in Asia.
The Music of the Spheres World Tour clinches its most recent monthly victory with a return to Europe, marking the third continental leg of the tour. Stops in Rome, Dusseldorf and Helsinki packed the July calendar, peaking in the former with $29.4 million and 252,000 tickets at Stadio Olimpico July 12-13 and 15-16. That’s enough to take the No. 1 spot on Top Boxscores as well.
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Beyond the chart triumph on July’s Boxscore report, Coldplay’s tour has now reached record-breaking heights. Since its kick-off in March 2022, it has eclipsed $1 billion in concert grosses and sold almost 9.3 million tickets through Aug. 25. That makes it the highest grossing and bestselling rock tour in Boxscore history, surpassing Elton John in the former metric and U2 in the latter.
Four dates remain to be reported in Dublin, plus 11 in Oceania later this fall. Having averaged more than 50,000 tickets on all nine legs of the world tour so far, it’s likely that the Music of the Spheres World Tour will surpass 10 million tickets.
The $1 billion gross and 10 million ticket thresholds are both unprecedented in Boxscore’s almost 40-year history. The obvious asterisk is unreported figures for Taylor Swift’s ongoing The Eras Tour, likely closer to $2 billion than one now that its own 48-date European leg has wrapped, and approaching 10 million tickets itself.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band are No. 2 on July’s Top Tours ranking, pulling in $65.4 million from 500,000 tickets over nine shows. The Boss also earns his chart rank from shows in Europe, specifically playing in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and others, before closing out the run with two shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Springsteen’s London dates grossed $25.2 million and sold 154,000 tickets, mirroring his No. 2 rank over on Top Boxscores. A double header at Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden followed with $9.7 million and 108,000 tickets, landing further down the list at No. 23.
Since kicking off in May, the ’24 European leg of Springsteen’s tour brought in $158.5 million and sold more than 1.2 million tickets over 22 concerts. Though he has wrapped overseas, The Boss made his way over the pond, launching another leg of U.S. shows last week and ensuring a return on the August recap.
Europe fills out the top four spots, with Travis Scott and P!nk at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. It was the first extended European tour for Scott, who was met with a well of pent-up demand. From June 28 through Aug. 4, he grossed $58.9 million and sold 520,000 tickets in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Portugal, and more. It’s the most that a solo rapper has earned on tour outside of the United States.
Combined with the North American shows from autumn 2023 and winter 2024, the Utopia Circus Maximus Tour has brought in $154.7 million and sold 1.2 million tickets over 63 shows. Scott has a slate of shows in Latin America and Oceania before closing for good on Halloween in Auckland, New Zealand.
For P!nk’s part, the Summer Carnival Tour continued with a second leg of European stadiums. Reaching a monthly high at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena, she totaled $46.8 million and 377,000 tickets during July. Since its launch last June, the entire tour has grossed $469.3 million and sold 3.6 million tickets – not including the Trustfall Tour, which interrupted the stadium run with a swing of North American arenas, adding $60.8 million and 257,000 tickets to Pink’s enormous post-pandemic return to the stage.
On Top Boxscores, Europe takes up the top six spots with engagements from Karol G and Metallica in addition to Coldplay and Springsteen. There’s two more in the top 10 (Luis Miguel and P!nk), and eight more on the chart, including The Killers with six shows at London’s O2 Arena and Ed Sheeran at Polsat Plus Arena in Gdansk, Poland.
On Top Stadiums, European venues make up seven of the 10 spots, including the entire top five. Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu rules with $37.2 million and 309,000 tickets, thanks to two shows from Luis Miguel ($13.6 million on July 6-7) and four from Karol G ($23.6 million on July 20-23). The latter closed out her yearlong world tour at the chart-topping stadium, re-setting her own records among women in Latin music.
Stateside, Las Vegas dominates the biggest and smallest venue charts. Sphere is No. 1 among rooms with a capacity of 15,001 or more (excluding stadiums), while the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas is tops among venues with a cap of 2,500 or less.
A version of this story appears in the Aug. 31, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Fleetwood Mac fans will soon have the chance to peruse Christine McVie’s treasures in a museum exhibition honoring the late legend — and if they like what they see, they may be able to take something home in an auction later on.
As announced exclusively by Billboard Thursday (Aug. 29), highlights of McVie’s personal collection will become available for people to see up close at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville starting Friday (Aug. 30) and running through Tuesday, Oct. 15. The day after the exhibition concludes, a two-day auction dubbed “Property From the Life and Career of Christine McVie” will take place at the same venue and online via Julien’s Auctions, marking the first time the items have been offered to the public.
More than 650 of the “Songbird” singer’s belongings will be available to bid on in the auction, including the Hammond XK-5 organ she played on tour with Fleetwood Mac (pictured above; estimated $6,000-$8,000), a Yamaha CLP-470PE digital piano from her London home ($3,000 – $5,000), a model KP-180-122 Leslie speaker in a red road case labeled “3rd Encore Christine’s Locker ($2,000 – $4,000), Tusk chord sheets with unknown handwritten lyrics ($800-$1,200) and two setlists annotated by McVie ($600-$800). Pieces of fine art and jewelry will also be for sale.
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Fleetwood Mac ‘Tusk’ chord sheets
Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
The proceeds of the auction will benefit MusiCares as well as other charities in the U.K. “Christine McVie was a legendary artist and a beloved member of the MusiCares family, always showing deep compassion for those in the music community,” said the organization’s executive director, Laura Segura, in a statement. “The proceeds from this auction will continue her legacy of giving back, ensuring that musicians receive the support they need. Her love for music and for those who create it will continue to inspire us all.”
Julien’s Auctions CEO David Goodman added, “As one of the musical greats of her generation and of all time, the world loved Christine McVie for her perfect voice, her beautiful songs, and her brilliance that she produced throughout her extraordinary life and musical career that Julien’s is honored to represent in this exclusive auction celebration.”
“St. Cecilia” painting left in Christine McVie’s London home.
Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
McVie died in November 2022 at the age of 79. A few months later, her cause of death was revealed to be a stroke.
At the time, Fleetwood Mac shared a band statement. “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure,” wrote the group, which also consisted of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. “She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her.”
In October, Nicks said that the band likely wouldn’t continue performing in the absence of McVie. “You can’t replace her,” she told Vulture. “You just can’t. Without her, what is it? You know what I mean?”
“She was like my soul mate, my musical soul mate, and my best friend that I spent more time with than any of my other best friends outside of Fleetwood Mac,” she added at the time. “Christine was my best friend … Who am I going to look over to on the right and have them not be there behind that Hammond organ? When she died, I figured we really can’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to.”
Watch Julien’s video of the auction items below:
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Veteran punk rockers Bad Religion have cancelled a planned run of fall 2024 North American shows citing “unforeseen family circumstances.” The band announced the news on Wednesday 9August 28) in an Instagram post, writing, “Due to an unforeseen family circumstance, we are canceling our upcoming fall tour. We apologize for any disappointment and disruption this may cause. We appreciate your understanding.”
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At press time no additional information was available on the cause of the tour’s cancellation, with the band telling fans that ticket refunds will be available at point of purchase. The tour — the follow-up to an earlier run of U.S. gigs this year with Social Distortion — was slated to kick off on Sept. 17 in Stroudsburg, PA a the Sherman Theater and keep them on the road through an Oct. 19 gig in Sacramento, CA at Hard Rock Live.
The outing was also slated to hit Huntington (NY), Portland, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Myrtle Beach (SC), Richmond (VA), Huntsville (AL), Nashville, Little Rock (AR), Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Davenport (IA), Sioux Falls (SD), Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle, Spokane and Portland.
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The band whose only consistent member has been co-founder and singer Greg Graffin, issued their seventeenth studio album, Age of Unreason, in 2019, followed by the August 2020 release of their autobiography, Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion. That same year the group whose thoughtful punk rock rages often incorporate social and political themes were also scheduled to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary with a tour that was pushed off for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See Bad Religion’s announcement below.
Citing “unprecedented demand,” Oasis announced on Thursday (August 29) that they are adding three more shows to their Oasis Live ’25 World Tour reunion run in the UK. In an X post, the band revealed that they have tacked on a July 16 date at Heaton Park, as well as another show at Wembley Stadium on July 30 and a third night at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on August 12.
Earlier this week, the band led by siblings singer Liam and guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher announced that after 15 years apart they will play a series of 14 gigs in the UK next summer, news that sent longtime fans who had all but given up on any rapprochement between the famously battling brothers into a frenzy. Though the show count is now up to 17, following online speculation, the band threw cold water on reports that the reunion would also include festival gigs.
“Despite media speculation, Oasis will not be playing Glastonbury 2025 or any other festivals next year,” read a post on X on Wednesday. “The only way to see the band perform will be on their Oasis Live ’25 World Tour.” At press time the lineup of the band for the reunion shows had not yet been announced and it was unclear if they planned to record new music to accompany the shows.
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In other news, the band also announced on Thursday morning that the window for registration for a pre-sale ticket ballot had been extended due to “a last minute surge” in entries. Because the large number of confirmation emails are still being processed and sent out, the deadline to confirm entry has now been extended to 10 a.m. BST (5 a.m. ET) on Friday (August 30). Successful ballots holders will be contacted on Friday by 5 p.m. BST (noon ET) with pre-sale access information. At press time the ticket prices had not yet been announced.
The pre-sale for the shows is slated to kick off on Friday, followed by a general on-sale on Saturday (August 31).
The UK tour will now consist of the following shows:
July 4, 5 — Cardiff @ Principality Stadium
July 11, 12, 16, 19, 20 — Manchester @ Heaton Park
July 25, 26, 30 and August 2, 3 — London @ Wembley Stadium
August 8, 9, 12 — Edinburgh @ Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
August 16, 17 — Dublin @ Croke Park