Burna Boy, U2 and more perform at Grammys
The 66th edition of the Grammy Awards took place last night (4 February) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with performances from U2, Burna Boy, Miley Cyrus and more.
U2 joined the annual awards ceremony from inside the Sphere in Las Vegas, where the Dublin-hailing band currently has a residency.
“Remember, no television cameras have ever been allowed inside until right now,” said host Trevor Noah before the broadcast of the band performing Atomic City.
Elsewhere, Burna Boy made history as the first Afro-fusion artist to perform at the Grammys. The Nigerian artist performed On Form, City Boys, and Sitting on Top of the World – the latter of which featured 21 Savage and Brandi.
Performing at the Grammys for the first time ever was 80-year-old Joni Mitchell, who treated the audience to her 1966 hit Both Sides Now. The song also appears on her 2023 live album, Joni Mitchell At Newport, which took home the golden gramophone for Best Folk Album.
Miley Cyrus’s hit song Flowers received its first-ever televised performance at the ceremony. She went on to win Record of the Year and Best Solo Pop Performance for the same song.
“Music must always be our safe space… when that’s violated it strikes at the very core of who we are”
SZA – the most-nominated artist of the 2024 Grammy Awards, with nine nods – also graced the stage with her double performance of Snooze and Kill Bill.
She picked up the awards for Best Progressive R&B Album for SOS and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Ghost In The Machine featuring Phoebe Bridgers. Bridgers scooped up three more awards with her band boygenius and went home with the most awards of any artist that night.
The other big awards of the night were handed out for Taylor Swift’s Midnights (Album of the Year), Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For (Song of the Year) and Victoria Monét (Best New Artist).
Elsewhere, three new categories debuted: Best African Music Performance (Tyla), Best Alternative Jazz Album (Meshell Ndegeocello) and Best Pop Dance Recording (Kylie Minogue).
The ceremony also saw Harvey Mason Jr, The Recording Academy CEO, honour the victims of last year’s Israel Supernova Festival attack during his speech.
“Music must always be our safe space,” he said. “When that’s violated it strikes at the very core of who we are. We felt that at the Bataclan music hall in Paris. We felt that at the Manchester Arena, in England. We felt that at the Route 91 music festival in Las Vegas. And on October 7, we felt that again when we heard the tragic news from the Supernova music festival for love, that over 360 music fans lost their lives, and another 40 were kidnapped.”
Other performances on the night came from Billie Eilish, Travis Scott, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Luke Coombs and Tracy Chapman.
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Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest line-up revealed
Halsey, Miley Cyrus and Green Day are among the headliners revealed for the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest.
The three-night festival will run from 10-12 February 2022 at the 20,000-cap Staples Center (soon to be the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles, kicking off with performances from both Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly on night one.
Night two will feature Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani with Mickey Guyton, while the final night Super Bowl Eve concert line-up is topped by Green Day and Miley Cyrus.
Now in its third year, the event serves as a precursor to the Super Bowl and its coveted Halftime Show, which in 2022 will star Dr Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige and Snoop Dogg at the 100,000-cap SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday, 13 February.
The Bruno Mars and Cardi B concert in 2019 was the highest-grossing event in State Farm Arena’s 20-year history
“Staples Center and LA Live are incredibly excited and honoured to host three amazing nights of music as part of Super Bowl Music Fest,” says Lee Zeidman, president of Staples Center, Microsoft Theater and LA Live. “We look forward to welcoming music and football fans to downtown as part of Super Bowl week in Los Angeles.”
The Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest has previously featured unique and never-before-paired line-ups with artists including Bruno Mars and Cardi B, Post Malone and Aerosmith, Maroon 5 and Dan + Shay with a surprise performance from Demi Lovato, and a night with Guns N’ Roses and special guest Snoop Dogg.
The 2019 and 2020 festivals were held at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, respectively. The Bruno Mars and Cardi B concert in 2019 was reportedly the highest-grossing event in State Farm Arena’s 20-year history, generating $6.473 million.
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Global Citizen prepares for One World follow-up event
International advocacy platform Global Citizen has announced the full line-up for the upcoming Global Goal: Unite for our Future charity event, a follow-up from its record-breaking One World: Together at Home concert.
Together with the European Commission, Global Citizen states it is organising the virtual summit and concert to highlight “the disproportionate impact” that Covid-19 has on marginalised communities, including people of color, those living in extreme poverty and other discriminated communities.
The concert, which airs on 27 June on television and digital channels, will feature performances from Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Christine and the Queens, Usher, J Balvin, Shakira and Jennifer Hudson, among others.
The event is the second organised by Global Citizen to raise funds to help those affected by Covid-19. One World: Together at Home, put on in conjunction with Lady Gaga, set a new record for the most money raised by a remote music festival, generating almost US$128 million for the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 solidarity response fund.
“If we are to end Covid-19 for all, we need our world leaders to commit the billions of dollars needed to equitably deliver testing, treatments, and vaccines”
“Global Citizens around the world are calling for systemic change, change that brings about justice for everyone, everywhere, regardless of where they were born or the colour of their skin,” comments Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen.
“If we are to end Covid-19 for all, we need our world leaders to commit the billions of dollars needed to equitably deliver testing, treatments, and vaccines.”
Evans adds that Global Goal aims to “bring the centuries-old concept of music as a motivator for change and unity, together with science and data, to honour the problem solvers who are racing to not only create the cure for Covid-19, but also to ensure that it’s available for everyone who needs it.”
The concert will be available to watch in over 30 countries around the world, broadcast on channels including ARD, Canal+ Group and RTVE in Europe; Bell Media, CBC, Citytv, and Global TV in Canada; NBC and iHeartMedia in the US; Grupo Globo in Brazil; MultiChoice Group and SABC in Africa; Fuji TV and Star India in Asia; and Channel Nine in Australia.
It will also be streamed on global platforms including Apple, Brut, Roku, Insight TV, TIDAL, Twitch, Twitter, Yahoo!, and YouTube. Additional broadcasters include BARÇA TV, Bloomberg Television, Fundación Azteca, Mediacorp, MSNBC, MTV International, SiriusXM, Sony Channel Latin America, and Turner Latin America. Viewers are advised to check local listings for start times.
Photo: © Raph_PH on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Byron Bay Bluesfest to go ahead as planned
The organisers of Byron Bay Bluesfest have confirmed that the festival is going ahead as planned from 9 to 13 April, despite the spread of Covid-19.
“We are all aware of COVID-19 in Australia and want to update you. Bluesfest Byron Bay will be going ahead as planned,” reads a post on the festival’s Facebook page, last updated today (12 March).
“Both NSW Health and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), the federal body, report that attending public events such as Bluesfest are low risk.”
Fan are assured that their tickets are “fully insured” in case of a coronavirus-related cancellation.
The New South Wales festival, organised by Peter Noble, is entering its 31st year in 2020, featuring acts including Lenny Kravitz, Dave Matthews Band, Kool and the Gang and John Butler.
“We are all aware of COVID-19 in Australia and want to update you. Bluesfest Byron Bay will be going ahead as planned”
Extra safety measures and additional facilities, such as hand sanitisation stations, will be put in place at Bluesfest to further safeguard the health and safety of guests.
Covid-19 was yesterday declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Major festivals including Coachella, Ultra Miami, South by Southwest and Tomorrowland Winter have been cancelled or postponed due to the virus.
Events affected in Australia include Miley Cyrus’ cancelled headline performance at the World Tour Bushfire Relief concert in Melbourne, Victoria. However, Robbie Wiliams’ appearance as part of the same event series is going ahead as planned, along with the Australian grand prix.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian today said there will be a “further review of mass gatherings” across the state, saying, “there is no need to massively change what you are doing but it’s not business as usual. We are asking everybody to be alert.”
13 new cases of the virus were reported in NSW yesterday alone, bringing the state’s total to 78, half the total number of cases reported across the whole country.
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Cyrus cancels bushfire benefit, but Aus GP to go ahead
Miley Cyrus has cancelled her headline performance at the World Tour Bushfire Relief show in Melbourne this Friday (13 March) owing to concerns over the spread of coronavirus.
The show – part of Apollo World Touring and Westbrook Inc.’s new World Tour concert series – was due to take place at Lakeside Stadium on the eve of this weekend’s Australian grand prix, with Lil Nas X and the Veronicas also due to perform.
“Due to the recommendations of local, state, federal and international government authorities, including the [US] Center for Disease Control, to reduce potential health risks in response to the current global health crisis we are no longer traveling to Aus for the show,” Cyrus announced on Twitter yesterday.
I am so disappointed to not be there, but I have to do what is right to protect the health and safety of my band and crew. I will still be making a donation to help the victims of the Australian bush fire. I’m sorry to miss everyone in Australia, but I will be back soon.
— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 10, 2020
Following Cyrus’s cancellation, promoter TEG Dainty said the whole show had been cancelled and that fans would receive a refund via ticket agency Ticketek.
“World Tour’s Saturday night show with Robbie Williams will still be going ahead, and we look forward to bringing Melbourne a fantastic night of entertainment,” reads a statement from TEG Dainty. “Robbie is already on his way to Australia.”
The Australian grand prix – the opening race of the 2020 Formula 1 season – will still go ahead as planned this Sunday (15 March), say organisers.
Andrew Westacott, CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, says – unlike 20 March’s Bahrain grand prix, which will be spectator-less – the race will go ahead with fans in attendance. “We’ve got to go around things sensibly,” he says “We have to keep moving on through life while taking precautions.”
Professor Brendan Murphy, the chief medical officer for the Australian government, said that holding Sunday’s race would not pose a risk to public health, reports the BBC.
“I’m not feeling at all concerned going to mass gatherings or walking down the streets in Victoria,” he said. “So I don’t think that there’s a risk at the grand prix.”
“We have to keep moving on through life while taking precautions”
Other high-profile Covid-19-related cancellations over the last 24 hours include Madonna’s Madame X world tour, which has lost its final two shows in France, and Pearl Jam, who have been forced to call off a 17-date North American tour.
The Queen of Pop was due to play the 2,800-capacity Grand Rex in Paris tonight and tomorrow (10–11 March). However, as of Sunday (8 March), the French government has outlawed gatherings of more than 1,000 people (down from a previous ban of shows over 5,000 fans), meaning that (“with profound regret” on Madonna’s part) the concerts cannot go ahead.
Meanwhile, Pearl Jam have postponed a North American trek due to begin in Toronto on 18 March.
“We are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid, as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives,” reads a statement from the grunge veterans.
“So it is with deep frustration and regret that we are forced to make this most unfortunate of announcements.” A European tour is due to begin in June.
Photo © Raph_PH on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Miley Cyrus to headline World Tour Bushfire Relief
Miley Cyrus is headlining a bushfire benefit concert in Melbourne on Friday 13 March, as part of new global concert series World Tour.
Promoted by Apollo World Touring, TEG Dainty and Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Westbrook Inc., World Tour Bushfire Relief is a one-night only event taking place at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium, featuring performances from Lil Nas X, the Veronicas and DJ Seb Fontaine.
The concert is taking place the night before the previously announced Robbie Williams-headlined World Tour show at Lakeside Stadium and alongside the Australian Grand Prix.
Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, two Australian-based nonprofits working to rebuild communities affected by the country’s wildfires and restore forests and wildlife.
The benefit concert follows Fire Fight Australia, the Queen-headlined event organised by TEG, TEG Dainty and TEG Live that has so far raised almost AU$10 million (US$6.6m) for bushfire relief.
“The partnership that AgBioEn has developed with World Tour is all about inspiring music fans to become a part of the exciting transition to a net-zero, climate-friendly future”
World Tour recently announced a multi-year, multi-territory partnership with AgBioEn, an Australia-based renewable energy company. The partnership will see the concert series visit cities in Canada, Italy, Taiwan, the US, Germany, South Korea and Japan.
“As an Australian company, AgBioEn are devastated by the impacts of the recent bushfires, and we are proud to have been able to work with World Tour, TEG Dainty and The Australian Grand Prix Corporation to rapidly pull together this exciting event with Miley,” comments AgBioEn chairman Charles Hunting.
“The partnership that AgBioEn has developed with World Tour is all about inspiring music fans to become a part of the exciting transition to a net-zero, climate-friendly future.”
Tickets for World Tour Bushfire Relief go on sale on Tuesday 25 February at 2 p.m. AEDT here. Tickets for the Robbie Williams concert are available here from AU$99 ($65).
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Superbloom festival to debut in Munich
Miley Cyrus and David Guetta are among the headliners for the inaugural Superbloom festival, which is taking place on 5 and 6 September in the German city of Munich.
Promoted by Goodlive, Superbloom will see performances from acts including the Pussycat Dolls, DJ Snake, AnnenMayKantereit, Apache 207, Bishop Briggs, Liam Payne and Parcels.
Located in the grounds of Munich’s Olympiapark and Olympiastadion (75,000-cap.), the festival will also feature a firework display from RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World, as well as comedy from Kaya Yanar and live podcasts.
Advance ticket sales are now open, with weekend passes priced at €155 (£130).
Goodlive is also behind German electronic music festival Melt!, hip-hop and rap festival Splash!, metal festival Full Force and touring yoga festival Wanderlust.
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Cardi B cancels Primavera Sound, Miley joins line-up
American rapper Cardi B has cancelled her performance at this year’s Primavera Sound in Barcelona, citing “promotional commitments”.
The 35,000-capacity festival said today (5 April) that Cardi B will no longer be appearing at the festival. Miley Cyrus will perform at the festival on Friday 31 May instead, joining Carly Rae Jepsen, Janelle Monáe and Robyn.
“We regret to announce that Cardi B will not perform at Primavera Sound 2019. The American artist has cancelled her appearance due to promotional commitments in the United States that cannot be postponed,” said the festival in a statement.
“If an empowered, ground-breaking, outrageous and controversial artist drops out of the line up… You have to replace her with another one, don’t you?”
Primavera Sound announced the addition of Miley Cyrus saying: “If an empowered, ground-breaking, outrageous and controversial artist drops out of the line up… You have to replace her with another one, don’t you?”
Cyrus will also be appearing at festivals including Glastonbury, Woodstock 50 and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend.
Primavera Sound is offering a refund to fans with a day ticket for Friday 31 May.
The festival, which takes place from 29 May to 2 June 2019, is a signatory to the Keychange declaration, and its 2019 line-up is gender-balanced, with at least as many female as male performers.
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Grande, Bieber, Coldplay for LN Manchester benefit
Ariana Grande will return to Manchester this Sunday (4 June), headlining a star-studded benefit in aid of the families of the victims of last Monday’s bombing.
One Love Manchester, underwritten by Live Nation and produced by Festival Republic in association with SJM Concerts, will take place at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground (50,000-cap.) and feature performances by Grande, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That and 1D’s Niall Horan.
Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster at 10am on Thursday 1 June, while those who attended Grande’s tragic show at Manchester Arena on 22 May can register to attend for free.
All net proceeds for the show, which will be broadcast on BBC TV and radio and Capital radio, will be donated to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.
“We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us”
In an open letter to fans, Grande (pictured) – who postponed her Dangerous Woman tour in the wake of the Manchester Arena attack – says: “My heart, prayers and condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.
“We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win… Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.
“Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honour the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart every day, and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”
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