Kendrick Lamar has announced a summer tour in support of his new album, DAMN.. Support will come from Travis Scott and D.R.A.M.

The tour, which will stop at arenas nationwide, will kick off July 12th in Glendale, Arizona and concludes August 8th in Los Angeles.

DAMN. debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and had the highest single-week of any album released this year (unseating Drake’s More Life). It’s also Lamar’s third consecutive #1 album (following last year’s untitled unmastered. and 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly).

Like To Pimp a Butterfly, DAMN. does not feature a single appearance from Lamar’s Top Dawg affiliates. It does, however, feature Rihanna (on “LOYALTY.”) and U2 (on “XXX.”)

Opener Travis Scott is currently on tour behind his sophomore album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. He recently shared the stage with Lamar at Coachella and features the rapper on his single “Goosebumps.”

Support will also come from D.R.A.M., who released his debut, Big Baby D.R.A.M., in 2016. His single “Broccoli” features an appearance from Lil Yachty and was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.”

For the full list of tour dates, Click Here.

Written by Eugene

Former members of seminal Prog rockers Yes have announced a summer/fall tour as “Yes featuring Anderson, Wakeman, and Rabin,” leading to some confusion amongst fans as the official Yes will also be on tour this summer on a trek they’ve dubbed Yestival, which also features Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy and Todd Rudgren.

Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin have been previously touring under the moniker ARW.

Although the rift isn’t as contentious as it might seem – official Yes’ Steve Howe did acknowledge that because former vocalist Jon Anderson owns part of the trademark, he’s allowed to use the name and the two iterations performed together at their 2017 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Howe did strike back at the tour announcement on Facebook:

“While Jon Anderson has rights to use the name as one of the co-owners of the trademark, Yes’ position in that every effort should be made by promoters, ticket agencies and all involved to respect Yes’ magnificent and loyal fan base and minimize confusion regarding the use of Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman.”

Like a pair of divorcees with joint custody, the two Yes iterations have always remained civil enough with each other. In 1991, the Rabin-led “pop” version of Yes reunited with the classic “prog” version for Union, a studio album that was panned by both fans and critics.

Judging by the two groups collaborative performance at the Rock Hall and the official Yes’ renewed emphasis on classic albums while touring (particularly those featuring both Anderson and Wakeman), fans have been speculating about another Union-type tour or album. “Reinventing the Union tour is not a concept that anyone from either Yes or ARW have endorsed,” Howe said during a fan Q&A in March, “As far as I understand, ARW aren’t really interested, and we’re most probably not either.”

To read more on the name change and to see tour dates for both tours, Click Here.
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Written by Eugene

If Weekend 1 is where they work the kinks out, Weekend 2 is when everything goes seemingly smooth. However, the surprise guests that kept coming last weekend on days two and three for the most part, fell off in weekend two. With a majority of the acts being the same as last weekend most of the performances were carbon copies.

One band that certainly had a better time at Weekend 2 was Radiohead. After last weekends technical difficulties, the band performed without a hitch and did not have the leave the stage at all during their set.

Earlier in the day, Travis Scott again begged the audience to form a mosh pit and even said it was OK to fight, while he played his career spanning set list. To further get the crowd going, Scott rode around on a giant mechanical eagle. Why? Because, why not?
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Day two saw a slew of special guests during one performance but for most of the day the acts performed by themselves.

Future, who brought out Drake, Ty Dolla $Sign and Migos last week performed his set completely solo.
Martin Garrix debuted a new song featuring Troye Sivan during his set on Saturday, Sivan joined Garrix on stage to perform the new ballad.

Gucci Mane brought out more surprise guests this weekend performing with Sean “Diddy” Combs, Rae Sremmurd, Lil Yachty, Migos, 50 Cent, Chief Keef, A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti. 

To read about days two and three, Click Here.

​Written by Kristen

Thrash metal pioneers Megadeth have officially announced a short tour with Meshuggah and TesseracT, confirming rumors that have been circling since March.

The run will precede Megadeth’s opening slot with Scorpions this fall.

Megadeth recently received a Grammy for “Best Metal Performance” for “Dystopia” off the 2016 album of the same name and recently completed a US tour with Amon Amarth and Suicidal Tendencies.

Direct support will come from Swedish progressive metal giants and “djent” forefathers Meshuggah, who released The Violent Sleep of Reason in October.

Meshuggah recently completed a North American tour this fall with High on Fire. After making an unquestionable impact on modern metal production with drummer Thomas Hakke’s involvement with Toontrack’s Drumkit from Hell product, The Violent Sleep of Reason is the first album in a long while where the band tracked live.

“[Previous Meshuggah albums] Obzen and Koloss are great albums,” Hakke told Metal Hammer. “But, to me, they are a little too perfect. It didn’t really capture what we sounded like honestly. But where we recorded live, you get to hear the push and pull – one person might be a little ahead and the other might be a little behind. If you kill that, you kill the energy.”


Also along for the tour is the UK “djent” act TesseracT, whose latest album Polaris has been getting rave reviews from the progressive metal community. A slight oddity on the tour as they can venture quite far from the “traditional” metal spectrum occupied by Megadeth, but Meshuggah fans will find some overlap with the band’s use of monolithic detuned guitar riffs and polyrhythms.

​For the full list of tour dates, Click Here.

Written by Eugene

Lady Gaga Instagramed a picture of her and her A Star is Born co-star and director, Bradly Cooper filming scenes while at Coachella’s first weekend. While this won’t be Lady Gaga’s first turn in a full length motion picture (she had roles in 2013’s Machete Kills, 2014’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and played herself in Muppets Most Wanted) this will be her first big-screen staring role. Last year, Gaga got a real taste for being seen as an esteemed actress when she received a Golden Globe for her part in the TV series, American Horror Story.

Lady Gaga, who will be credited as Stefani Germanotta in A Star is Born is not the first singer to try and hit it big on the big screen there are plenty of musicians who have conquered both worlds.  

Cher – “Snap out of it!” Cher is an Academy Award winner and also an acclaimed singer. She released her first album in 1965 and appeared in a slew of movies in the 80’s and 90’s including, Silkwood, Mask, The Witches of Eastwick, Moonstruck, and Mermaids. She never stopped releasing music, churning out hit after hit through six decades! Songs include, “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”, “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”, “Half-Breed”, “If I Could Turn Back Time”, and “Believe”. Cher most recently announced residencies in both Las Vegas and Washington, DC.

Will Smith – Before he was saving the world from alien invasions he was complaining about how “Parents Just Don’t Understand” with DJ Jazzy Jeff. The duo would then transition on to the small screen for the TV-series Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Will Smith soon became a mega-movie star and an Oscar nominated actor. Taking roles in Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, Ali, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Concussion and Suicide Squad. His post actor, solo music career continued to spin top-ten hits, like “Men in Black”, “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It”, “Wild Wild West”, and “Switch”. There is an on-going rumor that Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff will hit the road together again though dates have not yet been announced. As far as the big screen goes, Smith can next be seen in Bright. 

To read about more musicians who were able to successfully cross over to the big screen, Click Here.

Written by Kristen

What started with technically difficulties on night one ended with surprise appearances made by many on days two and three. Coachella’s first weekend started off slow but certainly finished strong!

Day One included performances by Big Gigantic, Oh Wonder, The XX, and Mac Miller. Then at 9:40pm Travis Scott took the stage with a mix of hits like “Pick Up the Phone” and mixtape cuts “Upper Echelon”. Using the jumbotron and stage props, Scott also encouraged the first day crowd to rage, using a few choice words to get the sentiment across.

Night One headliners, Radiohead had some technical difficulties that seemingly plagued them throughout their entire set. As a reward for putting up with the issues Radiohead played a hit they haven’t played in a (long) while, “Creep”. Though the closed the main stage, night one kept going with Dillion Francis bringing G-Eazy out for their new song “Say Less” and D.R.A.M was still going at nearly 1 am.

Day Two saw many surprise guests (perhaps to make up for the lack of guests day one?). Mura Masa brought out Charli XCX for “1 Night” and A$AP Rocky for “Love$ick”. Future made his Coachella debut one to remember by not only bringing out Ty Dolla $ign for his opener “Blasé” but he also brought out Migos and Drake, who each performed their own set within his set. 

To read more about Day Two and a recap of Day Three, Click Here.

Written by Kristen

Pop icon Britney Spears has announced the end of her four year-long residency at The Axis at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. 

“As I prepare to say goodbye to Piece of Me, I had no idea how magical this experience would be,” the singer said in a press release announcing her departure. “Having my fans from around the world come see my show has been amazing. I love Las Vegas and will miss performing this show.”

The successful “Piece of Me” residency, which launched in 2013, is largely credited with reviving Spears’ career after a very public mental breakdown in 2007. It will come to close on New Year’s Eve this year.

Spears’ manager Larry Rudolph hinted that the singer might be considering future residencies at different venues. “We could have it at the needle on the top of the Stratosphere, and do a bungee jump afterward,” Rudolph told The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We expect a lot of interest from all parties. Britney basically sells out every show.”

Rudolph also mentioned that Spears may spend her newfound time off recording a follow up to Glory, her latest studio album released in 2016.  

Final “Piece of Me” Dates:

9/3, 10/11, 10/13, 10/14, 10/18, 10/20, 10/21, 10/25, 10/27, 10/28, 11/1, 11/3, 11/4, 12/19, 12/27, 12/28, 12/30, 12/31

Written by Eugene

Take me out to a ball game, but don’t buy me peanuts and cracker jacks…I’ll take the 16” brisket or the Apple Pie Nachos please!

​Baseball stadium food has come a long way, gone are the days where one could just grab a hot dog from a cart, these days stadiums are fully equipped with food courts offering everything from pizza to sushi and each year stadiums introduce their new spin on food and fans around the country gobble it up! Below are just a few of the interesting items you’ll find at ballparks in the 2017 season.

SunTrust Park: Atlanta, Georgia
The “Tomahawk Chop Sandwich” can be enjoyed while taking in an Atlanta Braves game. This colossal sandwich features a fried pork chop, collard green slaw and white BBQ sauce. Did we mention one sandwich serves FOUR PEOPLE?

Globe Life Park: Arlington, Texas
​Everything is bigger in Texas, and the Texas Rangers are not disappointing fans this year with their “M.V.T (Most Valuable Tamale)” this two-foot-long, tamale-filled hot dog includes jalapenos, cheese and sour cream.

Guaranteed Rate Field: Chicago, Illinois 
Taking in a White Sox game? Chicago is trying to give Texas a run for their money! One could go quite big and grab the “Giant Smoky Pit Baked Grilled Mac & Cheese” which is a 16” Brisket Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese.

For more mouthwatering treats, Click Here.

Written by Kristen

It’s a new season, a new month and we have plenty of new music to listen to. Here is a round-up of songs that graced our ears over the last few days.

Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times” – In a completely different Direction from Zayn, Louis and Niall, Styles channels his inner Bowie, Lennon, and Elton John on his track “Sign of the Times”. It opens as a piano balled before being joined with the rest of the band taking on a very “Hey Jude” feel. Singing “Just stop your crying, it’s a sign of the times. We gotta get away from here”. In a word, this song is catchy. Not your typical pop song of these times with heavy production, auto tune and other effects, it is simplistic with the same chords repeating throughout the song allowing for an easy listen.

French Montana & Future, “No Pressure” –Montana has already released a few standalone tracks, “Said N Done” featuring A$AP Rocky, “Hold Up” featuring Chris Brown and Migos and “Can’t Feel My Face” featuring Diddy. “No Pressure” utilizes a heavy bass and a heavy auto tune over French Montana while he and Future take on their un-named enemies on this solid track.

Frank Ocean feat. Jay Z & Tyler the Creator, “Biking” – The surprises keep coming from Frank Ocean, having already debuted “Chanel” on his Beats 1 show, blondedRADIO Ocean surprised fans with yet another new song this time featuring Jay Z and Tyler the Creator. The song opens with a piano, which doesn’t necessarily match the speed of Jay Z on his verse. The song picks up a bit for Ocean and Tyler the Creator’s parts however it feels like a completely different song than the first minute. Either way, Frank Ocean could sing the phone book and we’d happily listen (and swoon).

Halsey, “Now or Never” – Off her sophomore album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom this electro-pop song is the perfect backdrop for Halsey’s ever steady voice. The track also has a stellar production team behind it with Cashmere Cat (Ariana Grande, The Weeknd), Happy Perez (Mariah Carey, Miguel), and Benny Blanco (Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran) all being given credit.

Calvin Harris feat. Young Thug, Ariana Grande & Pharell, “Heatstroke” – number 2 of 10? We’re holding Calvin Harris to his promise for 10 songs for 2017. Harris also stated he worked with the “greatest artists of our generation” his first song featured Frank Ocean and Migos and now “Heatstroke” is jam packed with Young Thug, Ariana Grande and Pharell. Is it too early to crown a song the song of the summer? This light and fun, Motown-inspired jam makes you want to be outside soaking up the sun! So far Harris has kept his promises now we just want to know, who will be on song number 3??

Do you have a favorite new song already? Did we miss one that your loving currently? Tell us in the comment section and we’ll be sure to check it out!

Written by Kristen

​Following the unprecedented and well-received news of an appearance at the Coachella Music Festival, lauded film composer Hans Zimmer has announced further live appearances.

Zimmer will embark on a world tour starting in July. Find the North American portion of the dates here.

Although The Dark Knight composer isn’t new to touring – he took over 20 musicians out on the road in Europe – his North American appearances are somewhat of an anomaly in terms of big summer concerts, which are usually reserved for pop/rap/rock artists.

Zimmer told Billboard:

“I wanted to break the image of the film composer – the guy with the large black grand piano and the orchestra and the conductor – so I figured out a different way of doing it. I wanted to take away all the barriers between the audience and musicians and what I really wanted to do was celebrate the musicians.”

As one of the most prolific composers of our time, Zimmer has worked on the music of over 150 films since the 1980s, including The Lion King, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Gladiator, Inception, The Last Emperor, Rain Man and Interstellar.

To see the full list of tour dates, Click Here.

Written by Eugene