Touring
Oak View Group Rebrands Facilities Division as OVG360, to Launch New Suite of Services
Months after finalizing the purchase of Spectra, Tim Leiweke‘s Oak View Group has rebranded its OVG Facilities division as OVG360 and announced plans to launch a new suite of services for its venue management and hospitality clients. The news comes after six years of rapid growth across Oak View Group in partnership with music executive Irving Azoff and private equity firm Silver Lake, going from six employees in 2015 to more than 25,000 employees and more than $5.3 billion in deployed capital across nine projects, including the recently opened Savannah Enmarket Arena in Georgia. Last year, Oak View Group opened the $1.2 billion, 18,100-seat Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle as well as UBS Arena, a $1.1 billion multi-purpose, state-of-the-art arena located on the grounds of Belmont Park in E...
Eddie Vedder Postpones Solo Shows Due to COVID-19 Cases in Camp
Eddie Vedder was forced to postpone two California dates on his solo tour this week after discovering positive COVID-19 cases in his touring team. Vedder made the announcement on Monday (Feb. 14), writing on Facebook that shows scheduled for Tuesday (Feb. 15) at the Magnolia in San Diego and the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday (Feb. 17) were being postponed until later this month. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “We have been following Covid protocols but still had a positive test in our touring party. The appropriate response is to postpone the next two shows. Everyone, please take care,” Vedder wrote. The rescheduled dates for the show are, respectively, Feb. 25 for the L.A. show and Feb. 27 for the San Diego gig. Previously purchased tickets will be valid for the n...
Aerosmith Cancel European Summer Tour Due to COVID Uncertainty
Aerosmith have canceled their planned summer European tour due to uncertainty over the spread of COVID-19. “It is with deep regret we must announce that our European Tour, scheduled to take place in June and July 2022, has been cancelled,” the band wrote in a Facebook note to fans on Monday (Jan. 31). Explore See latest videos, charts and news “We have continued to monitor the ongoing COVID situation and with the related uncertainty around travel logistics and the continued presence of COVID restrictions and other issues, it has become clear that it will not be possible to go ahead with our summer shows in the region,” they continued. “The health, safety and well being of our fans is our number one priority. We will be back to rock out with everyone and we hope to have some exciting news t...
Black Keys Announce 32-Date North American Dropout Boogie Tour
The Black Keys announced the dates for an extensive North American tour slated to kick off on July 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Live Nation-produced “Dropout Boogie” tour — the band’s first live dates since their 2019 “Let’s Rock” outing — will feature support from Band of Horses on all the dates, as well as runs with Ceramic Animal (July 9-30), Early James (Aug. 24-Sept. 9) and the Velveteers (Oct. 2-18) on select dates. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Akron, Ohio duo of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney released their Grammy-nominated throwback blues album, Delta Kream, last year, featuring 11 Mississippi hill country songs by the likes of R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. An exclusive fan clu...
Driift’s Streaming and Live Concert for Thom Yorke Side Project The Smile Officially Launches
Ric Salmon is preparing for his most ambitious live-streaming project yet with his team at Driift producing and promoting a three-part performance series for The Smile, a new side project from Radiohead legends Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. The Smile will perform three separate live shows in London, beginning Saturday (Jan. 29) at 8 p.m. BST (2 p.m. eastern), 1 a.m. BST on Jan 30 (5 p.m. eastern on Jan 29) and 11 a.m. BST (7 a.m. eastern) on Jan. 30. The performances will be live-streamed globally and include an in-studio live audience. Fans can watch The Smile performance from anywhere in the world via Dreamstage. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The concert series will preview music from the The Smile’s debut album, out soon on XL Recordings...
The Used & Less Than Jake to Headline Florida’s Kraken Fest
The Used and Less Than Jake will top this year’s Kraken Fest in Orlando. The third edition of the festival will also feature appearances from Story of the Year, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Evergreen Terrace, The Dev and We’re Wolves. “We are insanely excited for Kraken Fest 2022,” said festival founders Freddy Escobar and Marcelo Ferreira in a statement. “Orlando has welcomed us with open arms since our first show there, so we are thrilled to be back and continue to grow. We are pumped to have the opportunity to bring The Used back to Florida after the unforeseen cancellation of their Orlando show earlier this year.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The single-day festival will take place on Feb. 19 at the Orlando Amphitheater and run from 2 to ...
Kem & Babyface to Embark on The Full Circle Tour With Host Sherri Shepherd
R&B legends Kem and Babyface are teaming up to hit the road together, and as an added bonus, longtime comedian Sherri Shepherd is set to host the musical festivities at each U.S. city. Beginning March 30 at the Virginia State University Center, Kem and collaborator Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds are set to make 26 stops nationwide as part of The Full Circle Tour, named after Kem’s upcoming extended play titled Full Circle. With highly anticipated performances in major cities including Baltimore, New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando, Houston, Detroit, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, The Full Circle Tour is scheduled to culminate at the Oakland Arena in California on May 15. Tickets will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster with a presale starting on Jan. 26. General on sale begins on Jan. 28. ...
Adele’s Last Minute Cancellation Leaves Vegas, Fans Wondering: What Went Wrong?
Adele shocked fans on Thursday (Jan. 20) when she took to Instagram to explain that her Las Vegas residency — which was set to open the next day — had been postponed indefinitely due to production delays caused by COVID-19, fighting through tears as she explained, “We’ve run out time.” The “Easy on Me” singer told fans “My show ain’t ready” to open on Friday due to “delivery delays and COVID” spreading amongst the team of people working with the artist to launch her first performance series in a half decade. Adele said she was embarrassed and “gutted” to have to make the announcement just one day before the 24-show run opened. Last month, Billboard predicted that the January-to-April weekend concert series would net Adele $2 million per show and help her avoid exposure to COVID that could ...
Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival Secures New Local Producer
Seattle’s beloved Bumbershoot Arts & Culture festival has secured a new producer. Seattle Center – part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena – has selected the New Rising Sun coalition as its production partner to reimagine the local event. New Rising Sun is a coalition of Seattle-based arts, entertainment and cultural leaders. The group was founded by Neumos co-owner Steven Severin, Museums of Museums founder Greg Lundgren and McCaw Hall general manager Joe Paganelli. The founders will be supported by a team of Seattle’s business and community leaders, activists, artists and entrepreneurs in their work to develop a reimagined Bumbershoot. “Seattle arts are kick-ass, and we’re so excited to be partnering with Seattle Center to re-imagine...
CID Presents to Move Forward with Mexico Destination Events Following Dead & Co Cancellation
Event producer CID Presents plans to move forward with its current slate of destination events in Mexico following the cancellation of Dead & Company’s Playing in the Sand weekends. Playing in the Sand was scheduled to take place between Jan. 7-10 and 13-16 in Riviera Cancun, Mexico before the band and producers announced the cancellations Thursday due to the surge in COVID-19 cases across the globe. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a statement provided to Billboard, CID Presents says they intend to proceed with their other January events at the same location, including Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa (Jan. 19-22) and Hootie and the Blowfish’s The Big Splash (Jan. 26-29). “As we all know this is an ever-evolving situation and the rise and fal...
Glastonbury Festival Slid to Record £3.1 Million Loss Last Year Amid Pandemic
LONDON – Glastonbury Festival lost £3.1 million ($4.2 million) last year when it cancelled the event for a second consecutive summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company’s latest financial results. Accounts filed with Companies House, the U.K.’s registrar of businesses, reveal that in the year ended March 31, 2021, turnover fell to £936,000 ($1.3 million), down from £45 million ($61 million) in the previous financial year. The total operating loss of just over £3.1 million for 2021, which followed a loss of £358,780 ($487,600) in 2020, is understood to be a record drop for the 52-year-old festival. But Glastonbury said it was able to cover the losses with profits retained from previous years. Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift had been due to headline the...
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...
