Touring
Concerts’ Comeback Brought a Record Year for Latin Tours
In February, when Maluma unveiled details of his 24-city Papi Juancho tour, at the time it was the biggest and most ambitious announcement yet, for any genre, as concerts began returning from the pandemic shut down in the United States. “It was difficult to go back on stage during COVID,” the Colombian artist told Billboard earlier this year, after completing a few shows. “You have to be brave to announce a tour after all the things that happened, but I feel like everyone is just looking forward to feeling normal — and this type of concert will give that back to them.” Soon after, a wave of Latin artists announced North American tours, including Banda MS, Marc Anthony, Rauw Alejandro, Camilo and Karol G. Since, Latin acts have set a new record for the genre, accounting for n...
Dead & Company Offering Refunds for Mexico Shows Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases
12/29/2021 Refund requests for the Playing in the Sand concerts in January must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST on Friday. 12/29/2021 John Mayer, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir of Dead and Company perform during the Band Together Bay Area Benefit Concert at AT&T Park on November 9, 2017 in San Francisco, California. C Flanigan/FilmMagic Dead & Company announced Wednesday (Dec. 29) it will move ahead with its back-to-back concert weekends in Riviera Cancún, Mexico, next month, but any ticket holders who no longer wish to attend as the omicron variant drives a surge in COVID-19 cases around the world are now eligible to receive refunds. Playing in the Sand is scheduled for Jan. 7-10 and 13-16, all performances will be held outdoors on the beach. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Re...
D Smoke Provides Gifts & Caroling to L.A. Foster Youth Ahead of War & Wonders Tour: ‘It Was Magical’
Ahead of his debut North American War & Wonders Tour, which launches Jan. 11 in San Diego, Grammy-nominated rapper and Rhythm + Flow inaugural champion D Smoke is wrapping up an incredible year by giving back to younger people in need. On Saturday (Dec. 18), the Inglewood, California, native and former high school teacher hosted a Reimagining CommUNITY During the Holidays event, in partnership with CASA of Los Angeles, Crete Academy and Cancel The Contract: Antelope Valley. Explore See latest videos, charts and news During the heartwarming festivities, D Smoke and his his wife, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and violinist Angelina Sherie, were joined by their parents and pet dog, along with local Crete Academy elementary school students, to sing Christmas carols for South Central L...
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 ...
How Do You Tell the Story of Live Music? ‘Rock Concert’ Author on Tackling the Superstar Subject
In the live music business, it doesn’t get any bigger than stadium concerts. Thanks to the large seating capacity of most stadiums, artists playing at the top echelon of touring can earn $4 million to $5 million per show — double and triple what they can earn at arenas. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news But the model for stadium touring business wasn’t drafted by a major concert promotion company or a professional sports executive, but by a 16-year-old girl named Kay Wheeler who found herself swept off her feet by a Mississippi singer named Elvis Presley. According to the new book Rock Concert by Wall Street Journal music and arts contributor Marc Meyers, Wheeler convinced the Cotton Bowl to host a concert headlined by the “B...
New Edition Announces 30-City Culture Tour With Charlie Wilson and Jodeci
New Edition is going on tour with Charlie Wilson and special guest Jodeci. The iconic group will embark on The Culture Tour, presented by the Black Promoters Collective, beginning Feb. 16 in Columbia, Georgia. The 30-city tour — which includes stops in Los Angeles, New York and New Edition’s hometown of Boston — is set to culminate on April 10 in Miami. Tickets are available are available for purchase at the official New Edition website. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Most recently, New Edition — composed of members Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill — wowed fans with their impressive “Battle of Boston” musical showdown at the American Music Awards. During the big event, which took place on Nov. 21, New Edition and fellow Bosto...
‘Free Larry Hoover’ Producer Randy Phillips Tapped by TEG to Create More Artist-Owned Events
Entertainment veteran Randy Phillips has joined the board of Australian live entertainment company TEG, one week after producing and promoting Ye and Drake‘s sold-out Free Larry Hoover benefit concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 9. TEG and majority owner Silver Lake Capital — which also has investments in Oak View Group and Endeavor (which owns WME) — financed the sold-out “Free Larry Hoover” concert, which was organized in just three weeks. Phillips hired the production team for the concert, including Rob Hallett from U.K. outfit Robomagic Live, production manager Bryon “Hot Dog” Tate and Roadwerx’s Steven Dixon. “The four of us became DONDA Touring, supporting Kanye and working directly for him,” Phillips says. “That meant complete transparency in terms of the economics,...
U.K. Introduces Vaccine Passports for Clubs and Venues
LONDON – New restrictions for nightclubs and music venues in England have been introduced to tackle a sharp rise in cases of the coronavirus omicron variant. Members of Parliament backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial ‘Plan B’ measures on Tuesday (Dec. 14), with 369 MPs voting in favor of making COVID-19 vaccine passports a legal requirement to enter clubs and some concert halls, versus 126 against. The rules come into force on Wednesday, meaning that people aged over 18 in England will need to show they’ve either had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or proof of a negative test taken in the past 48 hours to enter a number of music venues, including nightclubs and indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people. Proof of vaccine status via an NHS Covid Pass is also needed fo...
Jonas Brothers Set to Debut Remember This Tour Mini-Series on Social Media
The Jonas Brothers are coming to a screen near you: On Monday afternoon (Dec. 6), Joe, Kevin and Nick revealed they’ve been cooking up a special behind-the-scenes look at their recently wrapped Remember This Tour. “As some of you already know… we were doing a bit of filming during the #RememberThisTour,” the sibling trio shared on Instagram. “Starting tomorrow we’re dropping a mini-series (including footage from a special secret show in LA) all month on Facebook. It’s so exciting for us to be able to share some off these off-stage moments with all of you. Thank you again for making these last few months special for us.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news The first episode of Moments Between the Moments premieres Tuesday via Instagram and Facebook Messenger. If the promo photo of th...
Michael Buble on His ‘Mind-Blowing’ New Album and Why He is Limiting His Las Vegas Residency: Exclusive
Michael Bublé will kick off his first — and only — Las Vegas residency April 27 at Resorts World Las Vegas for six shows. The residency will serve as a super-sized release party for Bublé’s new Warner Bros. album, which comes out early Spring. Bublé tells Billboard he is saluting the Las Vegas of old with an intimate show that recalls the Copa, the famed nightclub that played host to the Rat Pack, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and countless other timeless artists in its heyday. Concerts West/AEG Presents will produce the shows, which run April 27, 29-30 and May 4, 6 and 7. Tickets go on sale Dec. 10. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Before fans can see Bublé in Las Vegas, they can see him tonight on his NBC holiday special, Michael Bublé’s Christmas i...
5 Best Moments From Jingle Ball Los Angeles 2021
The Christmas lights tend to shine a little brighter in Los Angeles, and such was certainly the case with the star-packed lineup behind iHeartRadio’s 102.7 KIIS FM Jingle Ball 2021 on Friday night (Dec. 3). Crowds of families and passionate fans decked out in light-up deer antler headbands and ugly Christmas sweaters filed into the sold-out Forum in Inglewood to see some of pop music’s biggest acts grace the stage after a pandemic-influenced hiatus canceled the Jingle Ball tour’s 2020 outing. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news BTS, Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X and Black Eyed Peas were among the show’s headlining acts, all creatively incorporating the spirit and festivities of the holidays into their performances. A laryngitis diagnosis made Dua...
Everything to Know About Wisin & Yandel’s New Single, Tour & Album — Is This Their Last?
Reggaetón’s duet kings – Wisin & Yandel — have gotten back together for the first time since the pandemic for the new single “Recordar,” an Afrobeat jam co-produced by EDM king David Guetta. The pair have a new album due out in March or April, La Ultima Misión, featuring all new, previously unreleased tracks, including “Recordar.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news In an exclusive Instagram Live chat with Billboard, the pair – speaking from Wisin’s La Base studios in Puerto Rico — spoke to us about the new single, their upcoming tour and whether this could be their last album. Is La Ultima Misión the last Wisin and Yandel álbum? It’s ambiguous. Wisin: We have to think of a memorable end. We have a great album, with great friends, colleagues. Our intention is to close with ...
