Touring
‘Patriotic’ Russian Musicians Are Cashing In on Putin-Backed Concerts
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to deep division among local musicians. While critics of the war have trouble playing shows — or are voluntarily refusing to do so — supporters of the invasion are cashing in by playing government-sponsored “patriotic” concerts. With Europe’s largest conflict since World Word II now passing 100 days, throughout April and May, dozens of concerts have been organized across Russia by local authorities to support the Russian “military operation” in Ukraine. Artists participating in those shows were paid sizable fees by local authorities. The folk rock band Pelageya collected 3 million rubles ($49,000) for participating in a patriotic music festival in Stavropol, South Russia, on May 1, and singer Denis Maidanov was paid 2.5 million rubles ($40,000) for taki...
Snoh Aalegra Delivers Spell-Binding Show at L.A.’s YouTube Theater
Fresh off two dates in San Francisco (June 1-2), Snoh Aalegra brought her “Ugh, These Temporary Highs” tour to Los Angeles Saturday night (June 4). And one fan’s hand-drawn sign sums it all up: “Love U Snoh” with a heart added for emphasis. From the time Aalegra sashayed onstage until she walked off 70 minutes later, non-stop cheering, screaming, shout-outs (“It’s Snoh-ing!”; “She’s a bad—!”) and dancing ensued inside the packed venue. And in between, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter gave back just as good as she got. No costume changes, no background singers, no dancers. Just Aalegra backed by a tight band. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Dressed in a glittering bra top and matching thigh-length shorts accented by a short, white ...
Doobie Brothers Reschedule Several Concerts Due to COVID-19
The Doobie Brothers announced a series of rescheduled concert dates this weekend after members of their touring party tested positive for COVID-19. June shows in Indiana, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina were moved to July. The new dates were posted on Saturday (June 4). “We want to apologize to our fans,” the band said in a statement shared on social media. “Several members of the Doobies touring party came down with Covid and we had no choice but to reschedule the below dates. We look forward to seeing you all very soon.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The concerts are part of the Doobie Brothers’ North American tour celebrating their 50th anniversary. The trek features band members Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee reunite...
New York State to Ban Hidden Fees on Concert Tickets
New York legislation requiring ticketing companies to display “all-in” ticket prices now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature after passing the state senate on Thursday and the assembly on Friday (June 3). Those and other new rules are meant to bring “honesty” into the ticket market, the bill’s sponsor, James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley), chair of the Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee, tells Billboard. Hochul must sign the bill before the existing law expires on July 1. Most notably, the bill requires primary or resale web pages for events in New York to disclose an “all-in” price that includes the ticket price inclusive of all ancillary fees, and show “in a clear and conspicuous manner” the portion of the price that represents a service charge or any other fee. The fi...
Ichiko Aoba Announces 2022 World Tour: See the Dates
Japanese singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba is set to tour Europe and North America later this year. The folk singer and guitarist announced that she will be traveling to Europe in August and to the U.S. and Canada in October for her 2022 international tour. Ahead of her global trek, the 32-year-old artist will also perform alongside Phonolite Strings at the Blue Note Tokyo on July 21. “The world of Windswept Adan that I wrote two years ago remains vivid in my heart, and I feel that’s a precious thing for a creator,” she says. “Sailing in an ever- changing world, I’ll visit Blue Note Tokyo in July and England’s Milton Court Concert Hall in September along with string musicians and with new sounds in tow. And I’ll also head to the U.S. for the first time on my international tour starting in Augu...
Event & Arena Marketing Conference Returns to Honor SoFi Stadium’s Vanessa Kromer
The Event & Arena Marketing Conference is returning after a two-year pandemic pause. This year, EAMC will honor Vanessa Kromer from SoFi Stadium with its top honor — the 2022 Gigi Award of Excellence — named after the late Gigi Pilhofer, one of the conference’s founders. Kromer is the former EAMC president and a Hall of Famer currently serving as senior director of publicity at SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater and Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., and has actively contributed to the conference for more than 20 years. Kromer previously worked at Nederlander Concerts in Los Angeles. During her tenure at EAMC, she has hosted conferences in Anaheim (1999) and Los Angeles (2015), served as the president and v.p. of agenda, served as a board member, and created the EAMC Awards. Kosha Irby fr...
Here Are All the Celebrities Spotted at Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour Stops in Los Angeles
Olivia Rodrigo rocked the Greek Theatre for a pair of sold-out shows on Tuesday (May 24) and Wednesday (May 25) nights — taking her Grammy-winning debut album Sour to one of Los Angeles’ most historic venues. There were several headline-making moments from night 1 of the concert, including the 19-year-old taking time to speak out about against gun violence following the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. She also shocked the crowd by bringing out one of her personal heroes, Alanis Morissette, for a surprise rendition of the Jagged Little Pill smash “You Oughta Know.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Among the thousands of fans lucky enough to snag tickets to one of the two shows were several famili...
Oak View Group’s Acrisure Arena Strikes Social Impact Partnership With Stand Together
Entertainment development company Oak View Group has tapped community nonprofit Stand Together as the exclusive social impact partner and one of eight founding partners for Acrisure Arena, an OVG-owned and operated venue set to open in the greater Palm Springs area in December, the company tells Billboard. Stand Together will also serve as the social impact partner for the arena’s home team, the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, who will be debuting in October 2022. In addition, the organization will serve as the arena’s music series title sponsor. “There is no denying the remarkable power of music to bring people together. With the launch of Acrisure Arena and our partnership with Stand Together, we will harness the power of music to bring people together and create mov...
Justin Bieber Is Taking His World Tour to India
MUMBAI – As part of his ongoing Justice world tour, Justin Bieber will perform in India on Oct. 18, it was announced today. The show, which is being co-promoted by AEG Presents and Indian entertainment ticketing platform BookMyShow, will take place at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The stop will mark Bieber’s second concert in India, following his performance in Mumbai in May 2017, which was part of his Purpose world tour and attracted over 40,000 fans. That gig marked one of the largest concerts by an international artist in India. This one will be the first stadium show by a foreign act after the onset of the pandemic, and the first since U2 closed out The Joshua Tree tour in Mumbai in December 2...
Haim Postpone Cincinnati Show After COVID Outbreak in Camp
Haim is the latest act to get bitten by the COVID-19 bug on the road. After a triumphant gig at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night (May 17), Alana, Danielle and Este Haim were slated to hit the Andrew J Brady Music Center in Cincinnati on Thursday night (May 19), but according to a statement from the venue the gig was iced due to coronavirus cases in their camp. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “We regret to inform you that due to a recent COVID19 outbreak on the One More HAIM Tour, the HAIM concert scheduled for May 19, 2022 at The Andrew J Brady Music Center has been rescheduled to May 29, 2022,” read a statement from the venue. “All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled date. Everyone is ...
FestivalPass Unveils Subscription Platform For Live Entertainment, Eyes Expansion: Exclusive
FestivalPass launches with a membership platform that unlocks access to the show — tens of thousands of them. The brainchild of founder and CEO Ed Vincent, festivalPass claims to be the world’s first subscription platform for live events, through which members can nab no-fee tickets to more than 800,000 concerts, festivals and more. Membership can gain entry to such festivals as Coachella and ACL Music Festival, and live shows featuring Dua Lipa, John Mayer, Billie Eillish and more. Based in Austin, Texas, the festivalPass model uses a novel credit system, which can be redeemed for a smorgasbord of film, food, art and sports experiences across the U.S. and for booking rooms at thousands of hotels across the world at reduced rates. Members rack up credits through a subscription plan, rangin...
5 Most Memorable Moments From Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘A Decade of Touring’ Panel
Rap and rock star Machine Gun Kelly joined Billboard‘s MusicCon event on Friday (May 13), along with his band — guitarist Jus Lyons, drummer Rook, bassist Baze and keyboardist Slim — to participate in the closing “A Decade of Touring” panel, in advance of both their performance at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, and their own upcoming headlining arena tour in support of Billboard 200 albums chart-topping new album Mainstream Sellout. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news MGK was his typically animated self during the panel discussion, at multiple points getting up from his seat to walk around the stage, and also giving the panel’s host, Billboard executive editor of music Jason Lipshutz, a mock blow to the arm with his microphone (along with...
