festivals
Kanye West to Headline Coachella 2022, Considering Sunday Service
Kanye West — who now goes by Ye — has been tapped to headline Sunday night at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and might also stage a second Sunday Service performance a source tells Billboard. Billie Eilish is also in talks to headline the event — likely Friday — sources confirms. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The headliner news comes after a chaotic 48 hours for festival organizer Goldenvoice as it moves artists in and out of the event’s three headliner slots, originally set for the 2020 iteration that was postponed several times during the pandemic. Billboard has confirmed that previous headliners Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine will no longer headline the 2022 edition of the festival after originally bei...
Festival Where Drakeo the Ruler Was Killed Signed JV With Live Nation This Year
The organizers of a Los Angeles festival that was the scene of a high-profile homicide Saturday night (Dec. 18), when rapper Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed, had recently made a major management change, ending its relationship with the organizers of Coachella in July to ink a new joint venture with global concert promoter Live Nation. Last month, Live Nation came under heavy fire for its alleged role in the deadly Astroworld festival headlined by Travis Scott that killed 10 people and left scores more injured. Authorities say that Drakeo was murdered in a stabbing attack Saturday during the Once Upon a Time in LA festival at Exposition Park and Banc of California Stadium in downtown Los Angeles. Headlined by Snoop Dogg, the festival was a joint venture between Live Nation and veteran ...
Drakeo the Ruler Reportedly Stabbed at Festival in Los Angeles
UPDATE: This story was updated on Dec. 19 to confirm that Drakeo the Ruler has died as a result of being stabbed at Los Angeles’ Once Upon a Time in LA festival. A representative for the artist confirmed his passing to Billboard. Drakeo the Ruler has died after being stabbed at a Los Angeles music festival. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The rapper was assaulted at the Once Upon a Time in LA concert Saturday night (Dec. 18), the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the attack who requested anonymity. The festival was expected to feature several artists, including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Ice Cube. The Once Upon a Time in LA Fest confirmed in an Instagram post that the event had been called off early. Organizers did not give a reason. Los Angeles F...
Mary J. Blige, H.E.R, The Isley Brothers & Rick Ross to Perform at Jazz in the Gardens Festival
The star-studded lineup for the 15th annual Jazz in the Gardens has been revealed. On Friday (Dec. 10), it was announced that Mary J. Blige, H.E.R, Rick Ross, The Isley Brothers, SWV, The Roots and soon-to-be-announced local artists are set to perform at the event, slated to kick off at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on March 12 and 13. T-Pain, Stokely, Johnathan McReynolds, Mike Phillips and Mark Allen Felton are also set to make special appearances amid the two-day festivities. Radio personality and comedian Rickey Smiley will return as host for the 2022 event. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Attendees will be required to present a COVID-19 vaccination card or a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter. Social-distancing...
Police Presence at Music Festivals Linked to “Panic Overdoses”: Study
There’s a rising concern among researchers that substance policing tactics at music festivals are actually causing harm amongst attendees rather than preventing it. Researchers at St Vincent’s Clinical School at the University of NSW explored the phenomenon of “panic overdoses” at music festivals—a reactionary behavior that causes attendees to consume high amounts of prohibited substances out of fear of being apprehended by law enforcement. The Guardian notes that the study began with a sample of 1,229 attendees, 30% of whom admitted their intention to use drugs, or had already done so. The most common drug preference was MDMA. Roughly half of those who intended to use MDMA (48%) additionally reported resorting to higher-risk consumption behaviors to avoid bein...
Travis Scott’s Unruly Concert History Raises Red Flags in Astroworld Lawsuits
“This put everyone on notice: ‘This is what has happened, and there is no reason it can’t happen again,’” said John Werner, a lawyer in Beaumont, Texas, who is not involved in Astroworld cases. “They know this is a situation that can get out of hand.” “This tragedy was months, if not years, in the making,” wrote Houston lawyer Steve Kherkher in a lawsuit demanding more than $1 million for a man trampled in the melee, which he said was “predictable and preventable” given the rapper’s history. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed so far against Scott and several companies, including entertainment giant Live Nation, concert promoter ScoreMore, and a nonprofit managing the Houston-owned venue. The complaints allege that organizers failed to take simple crowd-control steps, to staff prope...
Post Malone In, Travis Scott Out of Day N Vegas Lineup
The late switch was made when Scott scrapped his scheduled performance, in the wake the tragic scenes that unfolded during his set over the weekend at Houston’s Astroworld festival. “Travis Scott will no longer be performing at Day N Vegas,” reads a separate message from organizers. Following the disaster that unfolded in Texas, during which at least eight concert-goers died and 300 were injured, Day N Vegas producers assuaged ticket-holders concerns for this coming weekend’s party. “The security and safety of all attending Day N Vegas has been and is always top priority in our festival planning,” a separate statement reads. “We continue to work hand in hand with law enforcement, medical personnel and public safety agencies on our protocols for the weekend.” Malone’s addition will be...
Travis Scott Drops Off Day N Vegas Festival Lineup Following Astroworld Tragedy: Report
Like the 50,000-capacity Astroworld, Day N Vegas is a general admission event. Following the tragedy at Friday night’s event, Scott addressed his fans in a video posted on Saturday, in which he told them how important they are to him. “I just want to send out prayers to the ones that was lost last night,” Scott posted in a clip posted on his Instagram Stories. “We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.” He added, “You know my fans, my fans really mean the world to me and I’ll always just really want to leave them with a positive experience. Any time I can make out anything that’s going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need. I could just neve...
Kylie Jenner Says Travis Scott Was ‘Unaware of Any Fatalities’ Until Astroworld Ended
Video taken from the event shows people pleading for help amid the chaos as the concert kept going. An estimated 50,000 people attended the Friday night event at NRG Park. The surge and then panic began shortly after 9 p.m., according to Houston officials. “There are a lot of unanswered questions,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Saturday. “Over the next several days, several weeks — could be even longer — we’ll take an in-depth look at everything that took place, why it took place, what steps we can do moving forward to mitigate an incident of this kind from taking place at any other point in time.” In a statement posted to social media on Saturday, Scott said he was “absolutely devastated.” “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festi...
Travis Scott Is ‘Absolutely Devastated’ After Astroworld Tragedy Leaves 8 Dead
According to Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña at a Friday night press conference, a “mass casualty” event occurred at 9:38 p.m. local time at Houston’s NRG Park. Estimating the crowd’s attendance at around 50,000, Peña said trouble began shortly after 9 p.m. when “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused some panic and started causing some injuries. People began to fall out and become unconscious and that created additional panic.” Per Peña, Astroworld’s medical tent and staff was “quickly overwhelmed” by the scale of the incident, after which the Houston fire department stepped in and dispatched 50 units. The second day of Astroworld, which began in 2018 and is in its third year, was canceled a...
Astroworld ‘Had More Security’ Than the World Series, Houston Mayor Says After Tragedy
During a press conference on Friday night, Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña said a “mass casualty” event occurred at 9:38 p.m. local time at Houston’s NRG Park. Estimating the crowd’s attendance at around 50,000, the chief said trouble began shortly after 9 p.m. when “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused some panic and started causing some injuries. People began to fall out and become unconscious and that created additional panic.” Per Peña, Astroworld’s medical tent and staff was “quickly overwhelmed” by the scale of the incident, after which the Houston fire department stepped in and dispatched 50 units. Astroworld representatives have confirmed that day two of the Houston festival is canc...
Astroworld Security Officer Was Pricked by a Needle, Treated With Narcan
During the same press conference, Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña confirmed “there were several, many instances where they administered Narcan on the scene.” Later, when asked by press whether any person other than the aforementioned security officer was pricked by an unknown needle, Finner replied, “Right now we have that one.” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed at the press conference that took place shortly after 3 p.m. local time that the number of fatalities remained at eight. The ages of seven of those who died ranged from 14-27 years old. One male victim of the incident has yet to be identified. The mayor added that six of the eight families have been notified. As of this afternoon, 13 of the 25 people rushed to the hospital last nigh...
