Coachella 2025 bill revealed ahead of schedule
Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival organisers have announced the full line-up for the 2025 edition, headlined by Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott.
The Goldenvoice-promoted festival (cap 125,000) will return for a 24th instalment between 11–13 and 18–20 April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
The lineup announcement comes two months earlier than usual, following reports that Post Malone would headline the Californian festival.
Malone has now been confirmed to close out both Sundays, following his headline performance at Coachella’s sister event Stagecoach this year. It will be his first time as a Coachella headliner, though he performed at the festival in 2018 and has made several guest appearances over the years (most recently with Bad Bunny in 2022).
It is Gaga’s second time as a Coachella headliner, following her appearance in 2017 when she filled in for a pregnant Beyoncé.
Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott top the bill for next year’s edition
Green Day will play Coachella as a band for the first time, although frontman Billie Joe Armstrong performed as part of the Replacements in 2014.
Scott is billed as the fourth headliner, occupying the same spot on the poster that No Doubt did in 2024 with the tagline “Travis Scott designs the desert”.
In a press release, Scott’s representatives state he is slated to headline the main stage on Saturday night “where he will debut an entirely new era of music to the world”.
Scott was scheduled to headline in 2020 before the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. He was booked again in 2022, but was taken off the lineup following the fatal crowd crush at his own Astroworld Festival in 2021.
Other major acts lined up for Coachella 2025 include Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, solo performances from BLACKPINK‘s Lisa and Jennie, Benson Boone, the original Misfits, Zedd, The Prodigy, FKA Twigs, Beabadoobee, Clairo, Enhypen and more.
This year’s festival was headlined by Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat, No Doubt and Tyler, the Creator.
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Astroworld: Hundreds settle injury cases ahead of trial
More than 300 plaintiffs have reportedly settled personal injury lawsuits with Live Nation and Travis Scott after the 2021 disaster at the Astroworld music festival.
Ten people died and hundreds more were injured during the fatal crowd crush at the 5 November 2021 festival at NRG Park in Houston, US. In June last year, a Texas grand jury declined to indict rapper and festival founder Travis Scott, nor anyone else associated with the festival.
The civil trial over injuries suffered at the festival was due to start this week but has now been delayed until February 2025 after settlements were reached, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Now, a host of lawyers will designate another round of so-called bellwether plaintiffs to test the strength of the remaining cases.
The result of the first trial could determine how much other victims receive in future trials or settlements.
The result of the first trial could determine how much other victims receive in future trials or settlements
Scott West, who represented 9-year-old Ezra Blount, Astroworld’s youngest casualty in the wrongful deaths suits, said hundreds of cases remain.
The bulk of the cases were settled with an undisclosed lump sum Friday and earlier this month, with West saying that amounts weren’t addressed in court.
The remaining plaintiff lawyers will decide which suits will be set for trial in February.
In a recent ruling, Judge Kristen Hawkins instructed that Live Nation chief Michael Rapino could have to give evidence in person, due to having “information [that] is not available through other sources”.
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Travis Scott tour stretches to LatAm & Australasia
Travis Scott’s record-setting Circus Maximus Tour is heading to Latin America and Australasia this autumn.
The rapper has announced stadium shows in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand for September and October.
Additionally, he will return to North America for a special one-night-only date at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 9 October. More than one million tickets have already been sold for the global run so far.
Scott is currently on the European leg of the tour, which concludes with three nights in Portugal at Lisbon’s MEO Arena from 2-4 August. The European dates have grossed nearly $27 million (€25m) with over 270,000 attendees across the first 11 dates.
In London, he drew in excess of 48,500 fans to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 July – his largest headline show to date – grossing more than $6.6m. He 33-year-old Houston native also broke the venue’s merchandise sales record and is also the first US hip-hop artist to sell 200,000 tickets in a year across three shows in Italy.
His sold-out 44-date North American trek in 2023 and 2024 generated $95.7m at the box office with an attendance of 686,000, breaking multiple merchandise sale records across states, and is officially the highest-grossing rap tour of 2024. Scott also made history as the first rapper to headline a sold-out show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The full list of additional Circus Maximus dates is as follows:
7 September – Santiago, Chile – Estadio Bicentenario La Florida
9 September – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movistar Arena
11 September – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque Stadium
13 September – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Rock N Rio
15 September – Bogota, Colombia – Coliseo Medplus
18 September – San Juan, Puerto Rico – Coliseo de Puerto Rico
21 September – Mexico City, México – Esplanade Estadio Azteca
9 October – East Rutherford, New Jersey – MetLife Stadium
17 October – Sydney, Australia – Allianz Stadium
22 October – Melbourne, Australia – Marvel Stadium
26 October – Brisbane, Australia – Suncorp Stadium
31 October – Auckland, New Zealand – Eden Park
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Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus Tour tops 1m sales
More than one million tickets have been sold for Travis Scott’s ongoing Circus Maximus Tour.
The trek’s sold-out 44-date North American leg, which ran from October 2023 to January 2024, grossed $95.7 million after attracting 686,000 fans.
Produced by Live Nation, the US and Canada run also saw Scott become the first rapper in history to headline a sold-out show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
In addition, the tour’s upcoming European stretch – which starts on 28 June at the GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands – has grossed $49.9m from 425,271 ticket sales. The outing includes the 33-year-old’s UK headline show to date at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Since launching last year, the tour has been attended by over 1.1 million people and generated in excess of $145.6m at the box office
Circus Maximus is officially the highest-grossing rap tour of 2024 and is one of the top 10 biggest tours of the year so far. Since launching last year, it has been attended by over 1.1 million people and generated in excess of $145.6m at the box office, as well as breaking multiple merchandise records.
Scott, who is represented by James Rubin at WME, recently extended his 2024 European tour after the first batch of arena and stadium concerts sold out.
From every ticket sold, €1/£1 will go to Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation, which aims to uplift Houston youth through toy drives, scholarship programmes to HBCU college students, and fulfilling expenses for education and creative endeavours.
It was announced last week that all 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed over Scott’s 2021 Astroworld concert have now been settled.
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Astroworld: All wrongful death lawsuits settled
The one remaining wrongful death lawsuit filed over the Astroworld disaster has been settled, it has been announced.
Ten people died and hundreds more were injured during the fatal crowd crush at the November 2021 festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, US.
The final case to be settled involved the family of Ezra Blount, a nine-year-old from Dallas who was the youngest person killed during the concert by rapper Travis Scott.
Blount’s family had sued Scott, festival promoter Live Nation and other companies and individuals connected to the event, including Apple Inc., which livestreamed the concert.
The final case to be settled involved the family of Ezra Blount, the youngest person killed during Astroworld
Jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin on 10 September but an attorney for Blount’s family said a settlement was reached last week, according to AP. The other nine wrongful death lawsuits filed over Astroworld were settled earlier this month.
Terms of the settlements in all 10 lawsuits were confidential. Attorneys for Live Nation, Scott and others have declined to comment during the case because of a gag order that limits what they can say outside court.
So far, no lawsuit has gone before a jury but around 2,400 injury cases filed after the deadly concert remain pending. More than 4,000 plaintiffs filed hundreds of lawsuits after the Astroworld crowd crush.
Earlier this month, state District Judge Kristen Hawkins, who is presiding over the litigation, had scheduled the first trial, focusing on seven injury cases, for 15 October. It is not clear if that trial date will remain or be moved up with the settlement in the Blount lawsuit.
In June last year, a grand jury declined to indict Scott, nor anyone else associated with the festival.
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Astroworld wrongful death lawsuit trial date set
A wrongful death lawsuit filed in relation to the youngest victim of the Astroworld tragedy is set to go to civil trial in September.
Nine-year-old Ezra Blount was one of 10 people killed in the deadly crowd crush at the festival, which was headlined by Travis Scott at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, US.
Blount’s family is suing Scott as well as companies including event promoter Live Nation and Apple Inc., which livestreamed the November 2021 concert.
AP reports that State District Judge Kristen Hawkins scheduled jury selection to start on 10 September. Scott West, a lawyer for Blount’s family, told the judge they still planned to depose Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino before the trial. Rapino had previously been ordered to give testimony in the lawsuits brought against LN and others.
Live Nation attorney Neal Manne previously fought attempts to have Rapino questioned, arguing that messages dated from prior to the festival proved that the CEO had no involvement in the planning of Astroworld. But lawyers for the plaintiffs said Rapino had correspondence and conversations with a number of people involved in the festival in the immediate aftermath, and as such his testimony is relevant to the litigation.
The lawsuit is the last remaining wrongful death filing relating to the disaster after nine of the 10 cases were settled
At the latest hearing on Tuesday (14 May), Manne said he hoped an agreement could be reached regarding Rapino’s deposition, but added he might still appeal the issue to the Texas Supreme Court.
The lawsuit is the last remaining wrongful death filing pertaining to the disaster after nine of the 10 cases were settled out of court. All of those who died suffered from compression asphyxia. The defendants deny allegations of negligence, among other claims.
Judge Hawkins also scheduled the first trial related to the thousands of injury complaints filed over Astroworld. The trial, which will focus on seven cases, has been set for 15 October. Around 2,400 other injury cases are still pending.
Last year, a grand jury declined to file criminal charges against Scott or anyone else associated with the festival.
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Travis Scott extends European tour after sellouts
Travis Scott has extended his 2024 European tour after the first batch of arena and stadium concerts sold out after going on sale last Friday (10 May).
The Texan rapper, who is represented by WME’s James Rubin, has sold out German venues such as the 43,661-capacity Rhein Energie Stadion in Cologne (20 July) and the 48,300-capacity Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt (27 July) as part of the Live Nation-promoted run, which initially ran to 12 shows.
The European leg of the UTOPIA – Circus Maximus World Tour will also feature his largest-ever UK headline show – a 48,256-cap date at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
New dates include stops at WiZink Arena in Madrid, Spain (30 July) and MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal (2 August), as well as second shows at Arnhem’s GelreDome in the Netherlands (30 June) and in Frankfurt on 26 July. Tickets for the additional concerts go on sale this Friday 17 May.
From every ticket sold, €1/£1 will go to Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation, which aims to uplift Houston youth through toy drives, scholarship programmes to HBCU college students, and fulfilling expenses for education and creative endeavours.
The 33-year-old’s 2023 North American UTOPIA – Circus Maximus Tour drew 525,255 fans to gross US$71,228,692 at the box office.
Last week, it was announced that nine of the 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed against Scott and other parties over the 2021 Astroworld disaster have been settled.
The revised list of 2024 tour dates is as follows:
Friday, 28 June: Netherlands, Arnhem – GelreDome
Sunday, 30 June: Arnhem, Netherlands – GelreDome – NEW DATE
Tuesday, 2 July: Poland, Krakow – TAURON Arena
Thursday, 5 July: Switzerland, Zurich – Hallenstadion
Saturday, 6 July: France, Nice – Allianz Riviera
Monday, 8 July: Belgium, Antwerp – Sportpaleis
Thursday, 11 July: UK, London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Saturday, 13 July: UK, Manchester – Co-op Live
Tuesday, 16 July: Germany, Hamburg – Barclays Arena
Thursday, 18 July: Czech Republic, Prague – O2 Arena
Saturday, 20 July: Germany, Cologne – RheinEnergieSTADION
Tuesday, 23 July: Italy, Milan – Ippodromo SNAI La Maura
Friday, 26 July: Frankfurt, Germany – Deutsche Bank Park – NEW DATE
Saturday, 27 July: Germany, Frankfurt – Deutsche Bank Park
Tuesday, 30 July: Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center – NEW DATE
Friday, 2 August: Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena – NEW DATE
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Nine of 10 Astroworld wrongful death cases settled
Nine of the 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed over the Astroworld disaster have been settled, it has been announced.
Ten people died and hundreds more were injured during the fatal crowd crush at the November 2021 festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, US.
As per AP, Neal Manne, a lawyer for the festival’s promoter Live Nation told a court hearing yesterday (8 May) that only one wrongful death lawsuit filed in relation to the tragedy remained pending, with the settled suits including one filed by family of 23-year-old Madison Dubiski.
That trial had been due to start this past Monday (6 May), but was delayed due to a battle over whether Apple Inc., which filmed Scott’s Astroworld performance for an exclusive livestream, should be involved in the case.
Attorney Noah Wexler, who represented Dubiski’s family, confirmed during the court hearing that their case “is resolved in its entirety”. Terms of the settlement, which has been reached with all defendants including Live Nation, Scott and Apple, have not been disclosed.
“The confidential agreement will honour Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements for concert safety”
“Mr Scott is grateful that a resolution has been reached without the need for a trial,” says Ted Anastasiou, a representative for the rapper. “The confidential agreement will honour Madison Dubiski’s legacy and promote improvements for concert safety.”
The remaining pending lawsuit relates to nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the disaster’s youngest victim. Scott West, an attorney for Blount’s family, told the court the case was ready for trial, but Manne said lawyers for other defendants being sued were not ready.
State district judge Kristen Hawkins plans to discuss the Blount case at a hearing next week along with potential trials related to the thousands of injury cases filed over Astroworld, of which around 2,400 are still pending. Hawkins added that if the family’s lawsuit is not settled, she is leaning towards scheduling that as the next trial instead of an injury case.
In June last year, a grand jury declined to indict Scott, nor anyone else associated with the festival.
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Travis Scott unveils 2024 European tour
Travis Scott has unveiled the European leg of his UTOPIA – Circus Maximus Tour, including his biggest UK headline show to date.
The Houston rapper will play 12 arena and stadium dates across Europe, starting in the Netherlands at Arnhem’s GelreDome on 28 June and concluding in Germany at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park on 27 July.
The month-long stint includes two dates in the UK – an 11 July show in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (cap. 62,850) and a 13 July gig at Manchester’s new Co-op Live (23,500). It will also make stops in Poland, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy and the Czechia. Tickets go on sale on Friday 10 May.
From every ticket sold, €1/£1 will go to Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation, which aims to uplift Houston youth through toy drives, scholarship programs to HBCU college students, and fulfilling expenses for education and creative endeavours.
The 33-year-old’s 2023 North American UTOPIA – Circus Maximus Tour was attended by 525,255 fans, generating US$71,228,692.
The first civil trial for Scott, Live Nation and others over their role in the 2021 disaster at the Astroworld music festival was delayed last week. A trial had been set to start yesterday (May 6) but proceedings have now been pushed back indefinitely due to an unresolved battle over whether Apple Inc., which filmed Scott’s Astroworld performance for an exclusive livestream, should be involved in the case.
Scott’s full list of 2024 tour dates is as follows:
Friday, 28 June: Netherlands, Arnhem GelreDome
Tuesday, 2 July: Poland, Krakow TAURON Arena
Thursday, 4 July: Switzerland, Zurich Hallenstadion
Saturday, 6 July: France, Nice Allianz Riviera
Monday, 8 July: Belgium, Antwerp Sportpaleis
Thursday, 11 July: UK, London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Saturday, 13 July: UK, Manchester Co-op Live
Tuesday, 16 July: Germany, Hamburg Barclays Arena
Thursday, 18 July: Czech Republic, Prague O2 Arena
Saturday, 20 July: Germany, Cologne RheinEnergieSTADION
Tuesday, 23 July: Italy, Milan Ippodromo SNAI La Maura
Saturday, 27 July: Germany, Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park
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First civil trial over Astroworld tragedy delayed
The first civil trial for Travis Scott, Live Nation and others over their role in the 2021 disaster at the Astroworld music festival has been delayed.
Ten people died and hundreds more were injured during the fatal crowd crush at the 5 November 2021 festival at NRG Park in Houston, US.
A trial had been finally set to start on Monday (May 6) but proceedings have now been pushed back indefinitely due to an unresolved battle over whether Apple Inc., which filmed Scott’s Astroworld performance for an exclusive livestream, should be involved in the case.
In a ruling last Thursday (2 May), a Texas appeals court refused to let the case move forward until it can rule on the ongoing dispute over Apple’s involvement. It gave Apple until May 10 to file paperwork in the case.
Hundreds of people have sued over the Astroworld tragedy, collectively seeking billions in potential damages. After years of discovery and depositions, the first trial – a wrongful death case filed by family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old who died at Astroworld – was due to start today.
“Allowing plaintiffs to pursue Apple under state tort law for exercising its free speech rights would have a significant chilling effect”
Apple was named as a defendant in many of those cases, including the one filed by the Dubiskis. The victims claim Apple directly contributed to the disaster with the placement of its equipment: “Apple’s role in the tragedy is straightforward: it reduced the available crowd space, when available space was a matter of life or limb.”
The tech giant has strongly denied those claims. In a motion last month demanding to be dismissed from the litigation, Apple argued that simply livestreaming the event doesn’t make the company liable for the disaster. The company said it had been filming the deadly event as a member of the media, meaning it was insulated from such lawsuits by the First Amendment.
“Allowing plaintiffs to pursue Apple under state tort law for exercising its free speech rights would have a significant chilling effect,” the company wrote last month in a motion. “Recognising such a legal duty in this case would be entirely unprecedented and would impose significant burdens on broadcasters and livestreamers that are frequently bystanders at events.”
In a ruling last month, Judge Kristen Hawkins denied that motion, leaving Apple to face the trial alongside Scott, Live Nation and the other defendants.
Subsequently, the tech giant filed an immediate appeal with a state appellate court seeking to overturn that ruling – a move that, under Texas state law, imposes an automatic pause on any upcoming trial proceedings.
“These free speech and free press issues warrant appellate resolution before Apple faces trial”
“Apple recognizes that the trial date is imminent and that both the court and all parties have devoted much time and effort to preparing the case for trial,” said Apple’s attorneys on Tuesday (30 April). “These free speech and free press issues warrant appellate resolution before Apple faces trial.”
Attorneys for Dubiski’s family criticised the move and, in a Wednesday (1 May) motion seeking to dismiss the appeal and stick to the trial date, they argued that Apple was no more shielded by the First Amendment than a Houston television station “whose news van negligently crashes into a pedestrian while covering a story”.
“The Dubiski family … have waited patiently for their day in court, only to watch Apple shamelessly seek to manipulate the system,” lawyers for the victim’s family wrote. “Litigation is not supposed to work this way. This court should promptly dismiss this appeal.”
But in an order late Thursday (2 May), the appeals court refused to unfreeze the case ahead of the planned trial date. Instead, it ordered Apple to respond by May 10 to the plaintiffs’ request to dismiss the case.
Last month, Travis Scott’s attempts to be removed from civil litigation were denied, however Drake, who appeared as a special guest during Scott’s headline set, was dismissed from the lawsuits.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino has also been ordered to give testimony in the suits brought against his company.
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