Dear Lord, hang onto your chair for this one.
MTV Video Music Awards To Air LIVE Around The World September 12
MTV today announced the 2023 “VMAs” will return to New Jersey’s famed Prudential Center on Tuesday, September 12th. Airing LIVE around the world in more than 150 countries, this year’s global fan-filled spectacle will honor the best music videos of the past year with unforgettable performances, epic tributes and show-stopping appearances from music’s biggest stars.
“We’re thrilled to be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark for this year’s VMAs!” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “Celebrating one of our biggest nights in music with the Garden State’s incredible fans has been our goal since last year’s highly successful event.”
“We are incredibly proud to have the Prudential Center once again serve as the home for the 40th Annual MTV Video Music Awards,” said Jake Reynolds, President, Prudential Center. “All eyes of the entertainment industry will be focused on Newark, New Jersey, as the brightest stars come together to perform at a marquee showcase within our world-class venue. This event allows us the opportunity to celebrate all genres of music for fans throughout the world, as we do all year round. We appreciate the ability to continue our long-standing partnership with MTV and look forward to an amazing evening.”
“Prudential Center is extremely excited to welcome back the VMAs to New Jersey for a second consecutive year and for the third time in the last five years,” said Sean Saadeh, EVP of Entertainment, Prudential Center. “As Prudential Center continues to position itself as a top five venue in the world, we could not be more thankful for the strong relationship we have established with the entire VMAs’ team. Last year’s show had some of the biggest superstars and legends hit the stage, and we can’t wait to see what is in store for this year!”
“The return of the VMAs to the Prudential Center testifies to New Jersey’s enduring standing as a premier venue for large-scale entertainment events,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “As the home of some of the most internationally renowned names in the music industry, New Jersey is proud to once again partner with Paramount to showcase an array of exciting performances to a global audience. By hosting this highly anticipated spectacle, our state and local economies will also benefit from the thousands of visitors who will shop, dine, and stay in our local communities.”
“Awarding Newark as host city for the 2023 “VMAs” echoes not only our selection by MTV in 2022 and 2019, but also reverberates our city’s historic vibe as a hotbed of musical genius. Starting with America’s first known composer in 1759, through the jazz explosion in the 1920s, and up to today’s full spectrum of genres from hip hop to opera, Newark has long served as America’s turntable for harmonic expression,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “The relevance of the Video Music Awards rising up today from the same city that registered the film and video industry’s first nitrocellulose patent is not lost on me as Newark continues to sit squarely at the crossroads of motion picture and music.”
The “VMAs” will air across MTV’s global footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, reaching over 319 million households.
Tiwa Savage Announces 2023 North America Tour
Today, Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress Tiwa Savage announced her 2023 North American tour. Produced by Live Nation and Duke Concept, the 10-city tour kicks off on August 24 at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Washington, making stops across North America, Toronto, Atlanta, Dallas and more before wrapping up in Los Angeles at Belasco on September 17.
Tiwa Savage is a resilient force within Africa’s ever-growing music and entertainment industry. While conquering the charts in her home country of Nigeria and becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the popular Afrobeats scene, Tiwa has also managed to carve a career as a reputable songwriter for some of today’s biggest and most successful musicians. In addition, she is currently the most followed African female on social media. In November 2018, she was crowned Best African Act by the MTV European Music Awards and made history as the first female to win the accolade. In the same year, Tiwa became the first African female to sell out London’s IndigO2 and she was handpicked by Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin to perform alongside Beyonce, Ed Sheeran and Jay Z live at the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg to an 70,000 strong audience and millions across the globe. In 2019, she made history again, by becoming the first female African artist to play at Wireless music festival in London. Later that year, she signed an exclusive recording contract with Universal Records and in September released her first global single titled ’49-99’ under Motown Records.
The singer, songwriter, philanthropist and fashion icon was named one of the world’s top 100 inspirational women in fashion for US style bible Vogue magazine and was chosen by Italian fashion giants Iceberg to perform during their spring/summer 2020 fashion show in Milan. In May 2020 Tiwa Savage, made history once again by gracing the cover of Billboard Magazine’s first issue devoted entirely to Africa. She featured alongside Afrobeat superstars Davido and Mr Eazi. Away from her successes in music, Savage has begun to take small steps into the world of acting. In 2011 she co-hosted the second season of Nigerian Idol and appeared in the stage version of ‘For Coloured Girls’ alongside Nollywood stars Joke Silva and Ireti Doyle. In 2013, she appeared in the third season of MTV’s Shuga playing Sade Banjo, which saw her stepping into a role that wasn’t specifically involved with music. “I’d like to do more acting but I’ve held back on that a little because that’s a little too predictable. It’s about timing and finding the right role but I do think I have the knack for acting.”
2023 TOUR DATES:
Thu Aug 24 – Washington, DC – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Fri Aug 25th – New York, NY – Apollo Theater*
Tue Aug 29 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
Thu Aug 31 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
Sat Sep 02 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues – Chicago
Mon Sep 04 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Thu Sep 07 – Houston, TX – House of Blues – Houston
Sat Sep 09 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues – Dallas
Thu Sep 14 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Sun Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco
*Not A Live Nation Date
My Next Read: “Silhouettes and Shadows: The Secret History of David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” by Adam Steiner
An avant-garde pop album rich with tension and fear, 1980’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) marked a pivotal point in David Bowie’s career. Standing at the bleeding edge of the new decade between the experimental Berlin Trilogy (Low, Heroes, and Lodger) and 1983’s wildly successful Let’s Dance, it was here Bowie sought to bury the ghosts of his past and the golden decade of the 1970s to become a global superstar reaching millions of new fans.
Featuring fresh insights and exclusive interviews with close collaborators, Adam Steiner’s Silhouettes and Shadows uncovers the studio stories, meanings behind, and secret history of Scary Monsters. Adam Steiner gives a nuanced, memorable portrait of Bowie at a personal and professional crossroads, drawing on his own struggle with addiction, growing paranoia, and political turmoil. Despite the album’s confrontational themes, it included the hit singles “Fashion” and “Ashes to Ashes,” with Bowie riding a new wave of inspiration, from the post-punk of Joy Division, The Specials’ two-tone revolution, and the stadium synth-pop of Gary Numan.
Most importantly, it marked a final goodbye to Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, and The Thin White Duke, characters and personas that had defined his career: in this rare moment, David Bowie, the costumed clown of romance, suffering, and song, let his mask slip to reveal David Jones, the man within.
Niall Horan Announces “The Show” Live On Tour 2024
Today, chart-topping global superstar Niall Horan announced “THE SHOW” LIVE ON TOUR 2024 – his biggest tour yet and first headline run since 2018’s Flicker World Tour. He’ll be performing songs from all three of his solo albums, including The Show, which will be released by Capitol Records on June 9, 2023. The world tour will kick off on February 21, 2024 in Belfast, UK at the SSE Arena.
Produced by Live Nation, the North American leg will launch on May 29, 2024 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL and include shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena (June 3), New York City’s Madison Square Garden (June 14) and The Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA (July 27). See below for itinerary.
NORTH AMERICA TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with a presale beginning Wednesday, May 31. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale on Friday, June 2, at 10:00 AM local time at www.niallhoran.com.
VIP: The tour will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences in North America for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. Packages vary but include invitation to the pre-show Niall Horan themed lounge, specially designed VIP gift items and more. For additional information, visit vipnation.com.
A deeply felt meditation on everything from mental health to the infinite complexity and uncertainty of love, The Show is an endlessly spellbinding statement on following your heart to its absolute truth. The album is available for pre-order HERE. As he gears up to share his most personal material yet in a truly extraordinary career, Horan is particularly eager to return to the stage. On release day, Horan will perform in New York City as part of the Citi Summer Concert Series on TODAY. He’ll also be performing at festivals around the world this summer, including Boston Calling.
“There’s nothing better than watching the crowd sing back to you with all that emotion on their faces and knowing that they’re attaching the song to something meaningful in their own lives,” says Niall Horan. “To me, that’s always the greatest thing that can ever come from songwriting.”
Horan, who joined NBC’s The Voice” this season as a new coach, performed his new single “Meltdown” on the show last week. View his performance HERE.
Rolling Stone observed, “Unlike the optimistic pop songs that bury devastating lyrics beneath the sound of sunshine, ‘Meltdown’ keeps up an unrelenting pace that more so echos the heightened anxiety and panic Horan sings about.” Billboard noted, “’Meltdown’ finds Horan biting off a jumpy pop-rock production and swaggering through some ooo-ooo-ooo melodies; the heartbeat of the song is steady, and the singer-songwriter underlines the reliable pop presence that he was born to inhabit.”
Originally from Mullingar, Ireland, Horan has sold over 80 million records and toured the globe multiple times as part of the iconic One Direction. His full-length solo debut Flicker entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 in October 2017 and contained the 3x RIAA Platinum single “Slow Hands” and the 2x RIAA Platinum “This Town.” The album hit the top 10 in 20 countries total. With combined global streams surpassing eight billion, Flicker has gone Platinum in five countries (including the U.S.) and Gold in additional seven countries. Heartbreak Weather followed in 2020 and topped the U.K.’s Official Albums chart and Billboard’s Top Album Sales tally.
NIALL HORAN – “The Show” LIVE ON TOUR 2024
2/21/24 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena Belfast
2/23/24 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
2/27/24 – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena
3/1/24 – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley
3/4/24 – Cardiff, UK – Cardiff International Arena
3/5/24 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
3/7/24 – Antwerp, BE – Lotto Arena
3/8/24 – Paris, FR – Zénith
3/11/24 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena
3/12/24 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
3/15/24 – Stockholm, SE – Hovet Ice Hall
3/18/24 – Lodz, PL – Atlas Arena
3/20/24 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
3/21/24 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum
3/23/24 – Madrid, ES – WiZink Center
3/26/24 – Düsseldorf, DE – PSD Bank Dome
3/27/24 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
4/26/24 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
4/28/24 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
5/1/24 – Sydney, Australia – Quodos Bank Arena
5/3/24 – Melbourne, Australia – Rod Laver Arena
5/29/24 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Hard Rock Live
5/31/24 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/3/24 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
6/7/24 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
6/8/24 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
6/11/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center for the Performing Arts
6/14/24 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
6/15/24 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
6/18/24 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
6/19/24 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
6/21/24 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6/22/24 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
6/25/24 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
6/26/24 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
6/28/24 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
7/7/24 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
7/9/24 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
7/10/24 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/12/24 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/16/24 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
7/17/24 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
7/19/24 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
7/20/24 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
7/23/24 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
7/24/24 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
7/26/24 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/27/24 – Inglewood, CA – The Kia Forum
7/30/24 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
7/31/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Aubrey Plaza Rewatches ‘Parks and Recreation,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Ingrid Goes West’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’
Aubrey Plaza sits down to rewatch scenes from her own movies and television series, including ‘Parks and Recreation,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Ingrid Goes West’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.’
My Next Read: “Reach for the Stars: 1996–2006: Fame, Fallout and Pop’s Final Party” by Michael Cragg
Using the arrival of the Spice Girls as a jumping-off point, this fascinating new narrative will explore, celebrate and contextualise the thus-far-uncharted period of British pop that flourished between 1996 and 2006. A double-denim-loving time before the glare of social media and the accession of streaming.
The bastions of ’00s pop – armed with buoyant, immaculately crafted, carefree anthems – provided entertainment, escapism and fun for millions. It was a heady, chorus-heavy decade – populated by the likes of Steps, S Club 7, Blue, 5ive, Mis-Teeq, Hear’Say, Busted, Girls Aloud, McFly, Craig David and Atomic Kitten, among countless others – yet the music was often dismissed as inauthentic, juvenile, not ‘worthy’ enough: ultimately, a ‘guilty pleasure’.
Now, music writer Michael Cragg aims to redress that balance. Using the oral-history format, Cragg goes beneath the surface of the bubblegum exterior, speaking to hundred’s of the key players about the reality of their experiences.
Compiled from interviews with popstars, songwriters, producers, choreographers, magazine editors, record-company executives, TV moguls and more, this is a complete behind-the-scenes history of the last great movement in British pop – a technicolour turning-point ripe for re-evaluation, documented here in astonishing, honest and eye-opening detail.
Rogers together with Shaw presents Darius Rucker in Calgary
Hey Calgary, Rogers and Shaw are coming together, and they’re hosting a free concert for their customers featuring country artist Darius Rucker, along with supporting performances from The Reklaws & Kyle McKearney. The host for the show will be Calgary native Lindsay Ell, and they want to see you there. For more information, go here.
Rogers is joining forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area to make a meaningful impact. Let’s work together to create deliberate, international mentoring relationships between young people and compassionate adults. And here’s the best part: for every ticket scanned at the Rogers together with Shaw presents Darius Rucker concert, they’ll donate $10 to this fantastic cause. Let’s make a difference!
The concert is FREE; tickets will not be sold to the general public. Select Rogers & Shaw customers will be invited via email. Customers will receive a unique code redeemable for a pair of tickets on Ticketmaster. Note, tickets are first come, first serve.
From May 19th to 22nd, you can visit the below retail locations to see how you can get tickets to the concert while supplies last.
Rogers Retail Locations:
- Chinook Centre – 6455 MacLeod Trail S, Unit 306, Calgary, AB T2H 0K8
- Southcentre – 100 Anderson Rd. SE, Unit 37, Calgary AB T2J 3V1
- Sunridge Mall – 2525 36 St NE, Unit 275, Calgary, AB T1Y 5T4
- Cross Iron Mills – 261055 Crossiron Blvd, Unit 373, Rocky View, AB T4A 0G3
- Market Mall – 3625 Shaganappi Trail NW, Unit D011A, Calgary, AB T3A 0E2
Shaw Retail Stores:
- Chinook Centre – 6455 MacLeod Trail S, Unit 139, Calgary, AB T2H 0K8
- Southcentre – 100 Anderson Rd. SE, Unit 25, Calgary AB T2J 3V1
- Sunridge Mall – 2525 36 St NE, Unit 278, Calgary, AB T1Y 5T4
- Cross Iron Mills – 261055 Crossiron Blvd, Unit 347, Rocky View, AB T4A 0G3
- Market Mall – 3625 Shaganappi Trail NW, Unit P018-A, Calgary, AB T3A 0E2
Legendary Rock Manager HARVEY LISBERG Releases New Book “I’m Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman’s Hermits and Many More!”
When 22-year-old accountant Harvey Lisberg heard the Beatles’ ‘Please Please Me’, he had an epiphany: he could be Manchester’s answer to Brian Epstein. He had a musical ear, a knack for numbers and a gambler’s instinct for taking a punt. Within a year he had taken local group, Herman’s Hermits, to number one with ‘I’m Into Something Good’. You can get it here.
Soon, Hermania was a global phenomenon. Harvey had found his vocation. In this uproarious, frank and moving autobiography, “I’m Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman’s Hermits and Many More!”, he reveals the excesses of life on the road with Herman’s Hermits; the frustration of championing unknowns Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber; the highs and lows of managing the brilliant 10cc; the utter madness of looking after snooker bad boys Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins and Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White and much, much more. Many other artists benefitted from Harvey’s guidance during this time, including Tony Christie, Barclay James Harvest, Sad Café and the Chameleons.
“I’m Into Something Good “is his account of a life that started in Salford and ended up in Palm Springs; a life in which he travelled the world, met heroes and villains, fulfilled his dreams, spent a fortune on good living, family and friends, and never took himself or his achievements too seriously.