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Sam Smith Surprises San Francisco With a Duet Alongside Sienna Spiro

Eric Alper
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Sam Smith Surprises San Francisco With a Duet Alongside Sienna Spiro

A San Francisco crowd got more than they bargained for. Sam Smith surprised fans with special guest Sienna Spiro during their “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency at the Castro Theatre, a run of rare, up-close performances ringing in the venue’s reopening after two years of renovations.

Alongside Sam’s biggest hits and previews of unreleased songs, fans were treated to a stunning duet version of Sienna’s breakout hit “Die On This Hill.” The moment closed a full circle for the duo, who first shared a stage when Sienna opened six nights of Sam’s “To Be Free: New York City” residency in late 2025, performing an unforgettable duet of Sam’s “Lay Me Down.”

Sienna Spiro is having a genuine moment. At just 20 years old, she’s found a global audience with cinematic, soulful, timeless yet subtly modern songs, and especially with her jaw-dropping live performances. Her first-ever North American headlining run, “The Visitor Tour,” kicked off at the Troubadour in Hollywood to rave reviews, with Variety calling the performance thrilling and tipping her as one of the greatest voices of her generation. The tour sold out within seconds, with extra dates added due to demand, and wrapped with back-to-back nights at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. Her single “The Visitor” is out now via Capitol Records.

Sam’s San Francisco residency continues the “To Be Free: New York City” series, which began in October at Brooklyn’s historic Warsaw club and extended through December due to overwhelming demand. The intimate run follows their single “To Be Free,” praised by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and more, a track exploring how vulnerability can unlock bravery and freedom, featuring vocals by The TwoCity Chorus.

Frontiers Records Marks 30 Years With a New Take on “Viva La Victoria” Featuring Dyan Mair

Eric Alper
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Frontiers Records Marks 30 Years With a New Take on “Viva La Victoria” Featuring Dyan Mair

Three decades of melodic rock get a fresh anthem. Frontiers Records continues its 30th anniversary celebrations with a brand new rendition of “Viva La Victoria,” featuring Greek hard rock and metal singer Dyan Mair. It’s out now.

Originally released by Eclipse in 2019, “Viva La Victoria” quickly became one of the band’s signature tracks, celebrated for its driving riffs and arena-ready chorus. Mair reimagines it here with a powerful, charismatic vocal performance, having served as lead vocalist of German rock band Bonfire from 2022 to 2025, featuring on re-recorded classics and their latest album ‘Higher Ground.’

Mair framed the song as a rallying cry. “Fight for your dreams. Never let anyone, not even your own doubts, make you give up,” he commented. “One day, you’ll be proud to say out loud: Viva La Victoria! just like Frontiers has for 30 years. Here’s to another 30!”

The recording is part of the label’s wider celebration, revisiting standout songs from its catalogue with fresh performances from a new generation of rock vocalists. Under the production of Aldo Lonobile, the single features a stellar lineup: Alessandro Mammola (guitar), Andrea Arcangeli (bass), Alessio Lucatti (keyboards), and Alfonso Mocerino (drums).

The result honours the songs that helped define the label’s legacy while bringing them to life for new listeners, a fitting toast to the enduring spirit of one of melodic rock’s most dedicated homes.

Arlo Parks Maps Out a Sprawling 2026 “Desire” Global Tour

Eric Alper
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Arlo Parks Maps Out a Sprawling 2026 “Desire” Global Tour

Arlo Parks is about to circle the globe. The twice Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winning artist has announced her 2026 “Desire” global headlining tour, a sprawling run that stretches from August into December and takes in venues across North America, the UK, and Europe, including London’s O2 Academy Brixton. The dates support her new album ‘Ambiguous Desire,’ which is out now.

The album finds Parks at her most confident and experimental. It references everything from the queer hedonism of NYC’s Paradise Garage to the moody nocturnal British beats of The Streets and Burial, the glittering synth catharsis of LCD Soundsystem, and the rooted house grooves of Theo Parrish. A soundtrack to unguarded self-expression, it’s a life-affirming new piece of work from one of music’s most irrepressible voices.

London-born Parks has built a remarkable run in a short time. She won the Mercury Music Prize for her 2021 debut ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams,’ took Breakthrough Artist at the 2021 Brit Awards, and earned two Grammy and Ivor Novello nominations. Her follow-up ‘My Soft Machine’ featured the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and kept her touring globally, and in 2025 she became the youngest ever appointed UNICEF Ambassador as she continues her humanitarian work.

The tour also folds in a special support performance with David Byrne in Ireland, plus a series of sold-out intimate UK record store shows celebrating the album’s release, giving fans a rare up-close setting. Tickets for the headline run are on sale now.

Arlo Parks 2026 Desire Tour Dates:

Aug 29 – Washington, DC @ The Howard Theatre

Aug 31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Sep 01 – Boston, MA @ Royale

Sep 03 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS

Sep 04 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY

Sep 05 – Detroit, MI @ Lincoln Factory

Sep 09 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater

Sep 10 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk

Sep 14 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

Sep 15 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s

Sep 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether

Sep 19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

Sep 21 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo

Sep 22 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre

Sep 23 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

Sep 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall

Sep 26 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre

Sep 29 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

Oct 01 – Queens, NY @ Knockdown Center

Oct 17 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Ambassador Theatre

Oct 20 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

Oct 24 – Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket

Oct 25 – Bristol, UK @ The Prospect Building

Oct 26 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall

Oct 28 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ TivoliVredenburg

Oct 30 – Cologne, Germany @ Carlswerk Victoria

Oct 31 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Eats Music Hall

Nov 03 – Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque Royal

Nov 08 – Paris, France @ La Gaite Lyrique

Nov 10 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera

Nov 11 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisboa ao Vivo

Nov 13 – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Apolo

Nov 16 – Munich, Germany @ Muffathalle

Nov 18 – Warsaw, Poland @ Palladium

Nov 19 – Vienna, Austria @ Arena Wien

Nov 21 – Prague, Czech Republic @ ARCHA+

Nov 22 – Budapest, Hungary @ Akvárium Klub

Nov 24 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Kaufleuten

Nov 26 – Luxembourg City, Luxembourg @ den Atelier

Nov 29 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Store Vega

Dec 01 – Oslo, Norway @ Parkteatret

Dec 02 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Slaktkyrkan

Metallica Expand Their “Life Burns Faster” Sphere Residency to 24 Shows

Eric Alper
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Metallica Expand Their “Life Burns Faster” Sphere Residency to 24 Shows

Metallica are going all in on Las Vegas. The band have extended their upcoming “Life Burns Faster” residency at Sphere into March 2027, bringing the run to 24 shows over 12 weekends. According to the band, these appear to be the final shows.

“This is it, we’re maxing out Life Burns Faster,” the band write. “Four more dates have been added to the run, bringing our upcoming Sphere residency to 24 shows.” Those four March shows follow six dates added earlier in the day and six more announced earlier in the week.

The residency debuts on October 1 and 3, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, and 29 and 31, 2026, and continues the No Repeat Weekend tradition that began with the 2023 kick-off of the M72 World Tour, with no songs repeated across each Thursday and Saturday throughout the run. For the fan who refuses to miss a thing, the ultimate pass returns, now called the Full House Ticket (formerly the I Disappear Ticket), granting entry to every Metallica show at Sphere in 2026. A full slate of travel packages and VIP experiences is also on offer, from meet and greets and onstage photo ops to the Black Box Experience and a coveted spot in the Snake Pit.

The shows will pull live staples and surprises from across the Metallica catalog, enhanced by the venue’s immersive technologies. Sphere’s tools, including the world’s highest resolution LED display that wraps up, over, and around the audience, Sphere Immersive Sound, and multi-sensory 4D technology, promise a wholly new Metallica experience for everyone in the room, James, Lars, Kirk, and Robert included.

The idea took root in an instant. “About 12 seconds into the opening night of Sphere with U2 back in ’23, I thought, ‘We have to do this, it’s completely uncharted territory!'” drummer Lars Ulrich shares. “This residency gives us another chance to reinvent how we interact with our fans in a live setting. We are beyond excited to share this with the world in six months time, and way psyched to go next level!”

The run caps a remarkable stretch for the band, whose M72 World Tour has played to more than four million fans across Europe, North America, the Pacific Rim, and the Middle East since spring 2023. Produced by Live Nation and presented by inKind, the residency adds another bold chapter to Metallica’s 40-plus years of reinventing the live experience. Tickets are on sale now.

Metallica Life Burns Faster at Sphere 2026 Dates:

October 1 and 3

October 15 and 17

October 22 and 24

October 29 and 31

Country Star HunterGirl Pours the Truth Straight on “Come and Get Your Boy”

Eric Alper
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Country Star HunterGirl Pours the Truth Straight on “Come and Get Your Boy”

Years of watching the same story play out on Broadway gave HunterGirl her sharpest song yet. The country storyteller has released “Come and Get Your Boy,” a mid-tempo, barroom-ready anthem built on truth-telling, solidarity, and a little well-earned side-eye. It’s out now via 19 Recordings/BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.

The track plays like a knowing nod across the room between two women who’ve seen it all before. Driven by a steady groove and a hook that lands like a warning bell, it unfolds with the sly confidence that only comes from hard-won experience. HunterGirl’s vocal carries equal parts grit and charm, turning the chorus into both a call-out and a call-in, where honesty hits harder than any heartbreak and the truth gets poured straight, no chaser.

The song came straight from real life. “I performed for years on Broadway in downtown Nashville and I have seen firsthand this story behind ‘Come and Get Your Boy’ play out in real life,” says HunterGirl. “This was such a fun song to write. As women, we all need to look out for one another, and most of the women I know have some fierce private detective skills. We have all witnessed that guy with the red flag waving.”

It was written by HunterGirl alongside Brock Berryhill, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jesse Frasure, Jaxson Free, and Taylor Phillips, and produced by Trent Willmon. The single follows “Somewhere Wild,” which opened her 2026 with a windswept, introspective turn, and continues a steady run that shows the full range of her voice as a storyteller.

The momentum keeps building on her own terms. With nearly 80 million global streams and a Grand Ole Opry debut that earned a standing ovation, HunterGirl steps into this next chapter fresh off tours with Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry, proving that honesty, humor, and heart can still own the room.

Juice Wrld and Marshmello Reunite on “We Don’t Get Along”

Eric Alper
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Juice Wrld and Marshmello Reunite on “We Don’t Get Along”

Two kindred spirits link up once more on the latest release. The long-anticipated Juice Wrld and Marshmello collaboration “We Don’t Get Along” is out now, arriving alongside a psychedelic, claymation-style music video. Lushly melodic and powerfully introspective, it’s a song about persevering through pain.

The track folds gothic post-punk guitar into crisp trap percussion as Juice layers bittersweet melodies over the top. He moves through the darkness with lines like “Pain in my cardiac matches the pain in my brain,” yet keeps an eye trained on the future, closing in on the idea of letting his story be told. That balance of ache and hope gives the song its cathartic pull.

The video matches that spirit with a handmade feel. Directed by Johnny McHone (Robot Chicken, M.O.D.O.K.), it opens on Juice walking through nature before he transforms into a literal head in the clouds, drifting through a purple-hued prismatic ether and occasionally crossing paths with a bobbing Marshmello. He morphs into shapes that bring his lyrics to life, and fans who watch closely will spot Juice’s signature “999” hidden along the way.

The single follows last year’s ‘Legends Never Die (5 Year Anniversary Edition),’ the expanded reissue of Juice’s celebrated, chart-busting third album, which itself contained his and Marshmello’s very first collaborations: the quadruple platinum “Come & Go” and the double platinum “Hate the Other Side” with Polo G and The Kid Laroi.

The duo have built a genuine history together. Their chemistry showed up again on the 2022 single “Bye Bye,” and Marshmello later appeared in the Fortnite-themed video for Juice’s 2024 hit “Empty Out Your Pockets.” “We Don’t Get Along” adds another memorable chapter to that partnership.

Rock Titans The Who Capture Their Orchestral Era on ‘Live at Eden Project’

Eric Alper
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Rock Titans The Who Capture Their Orchestral Era on ‘Live at Eden Project’

A network of biomes in the Cornish countryside set the stage for one of The Who’s most memorable recent shows. The band have released ‘Live at Eden Project,’ a landmark live recording capturing their July 2023 performance at Cornwall’s iconic Eden Project. It’s out now, with first single “Pinball Wizard” leading the way.

The concert found founding members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey backed by the Heart of England Philharmonic Orchestra, fusing classic rock intensity with orchestral grandeur. Set within one of the UK’s most sustainable and visually striking venues, the show stands as a testament to both the band’s musical evolution and their enduring cultural relevance. The Eden Project’s natural acoustics and enclosed structures created a warm, detailed sonic environment with an intimacy unmatched by traditional stadium settings.

That atmosphere runs all through the recording. The Who’s “special location” shows have long been cherished by fans, and Eden ranks among the most memorable, a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of music, environment, and artistic vision. The smaller capacity fostered a deeper connection between band and audience, a sense of being inside the performance rather than watching from afar.

The setlist is one of the strongest and most focused of The Who’s orchestral period. Alongside beloved anthems like “Baba O’Riley” and “Pinball Wizard,” it digs into rarely performed gems such as “Cry If You Want,” “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” and “The Rock,” creating a career-spanning journey that balances hits, deep cuts, and orchestral showpieces with remarkable fluidity. Lead single “Pinball Wizard” offers a powerful first glimpse, capturing the heightened emotional nuance and orchestral depth that define the full release.

‘Live at Eden Project’ is available now as a 2 CD digipak, a limited 3 LP gatefold edition pressed on recycled vinyl with no plastic shrink wrap, a standard 3 LP gatefold, and across all major digital platforms. Vibrant, immersive, and uniquely alive, it stands as the definitive document of The Who’s orchestral era, a recording whose venue mirrors the band’s own commitment to evolution and innovation.

‘Live at Eden Project’ Tracklisting:

Overture

1921

Amazing Journey

Sparks

The Acid Queen

Pinball Wizard

We’re Not Gonna Take It

Who Are You

Eminence Front

The Kids Are Alright

You Better You Bet

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

Substitute

I Can’t Explain

My Generation

Cry If You Want

Won’t Get Fooled Again

Behind Blue Eyes

The Real Me

I’m One

5:15

The Rock

Love, Reign O’er Me

Baba O’Riley

Steve Aoki and Goo Goo Dolls Send “Iris” to the Dancefloor With a Festival-Ready Rework

Eric Alper
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Steve Aoki and Goo Goo Dolls Send “Iris” to the Dancefloor With a Festival-Ready Rework

A surprise onstage moment at a country festival turned into a full studio collaboration. Steve Aoki has joined forces with Goo Goo Dolls to reimagine their diamond-certified hit “Iris,” transforming the beloved anthem into a festival-ready experience that pairs the song’s raw intensity with Aoki’s high-energy production. The rework is out now.

Originally released in 1998, “Iris” has become one of the most enduring songs of its era, a global touchstone nearly 30 years on. The track has amassed over 5.5 billion streams worldwide and surpassed one billion in 2025 alone. It recently climbed to new peaks on Spotify’s Global Daily Chart and was chosen as the final song ever played at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium, closing out the venue’s 53-year run as the Bills’ home.

The new version heightens the song’s intensity with playful synths, driving rhythms, and cinematic builds, amplifying its energy without losing the immediacy and iconic chorus that made it a classic. It was born from a surprise appearance at Stagecoach in 2025, when Aoki invited Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik onstage during his set for a live rendition. The performance became one of the weekend’s most talked-about highlights.

“Performing ‘Iris’ live with Goo Goo Dolls at Stagecoach was one of those rare, unforgettable moments,” Aoki shares. “You could feel the connection everyone had to the song, but also this incredible rush as we brought it into a completely different environment. That feeling stayed with me, and I knew we had to take it into the studio and build a version designed for festival stages, while preserving the heart of the original.”

Rzeznik felt the same charge. “Joining Steve onstage during his Stagecoach set was an unforgettable moment,” he adds. “The energy from the crowd was remarkable and the mixture of our two genres was amazing to witness live. We’re thrilled to release this new version of ‘Iris’ with Steve and share that magic moment with our fans around the world.”

The release arrives as Aoki celebrates the 30th anniversary of his influential independent label Dim Mak. Founded in 1996 from his college dorm room at UC Santa Barbara and named after his childhood hero Bruce Lee, Dim Mak helped launch The Kills, Bloc Party, and The Gossip, and has grown into one of electronic music’s most respected imprints. Aoki is currently on his Dim Mak 30th Anniversary Tour, a North American run with stops at Central Park SummerStage, Hollywood Palladium, Ultra Music Festival, and more.

Singer-Songwriter Rita Wilson Carves Out Her Authentic Self on New Single “Michelangelo”

Eric Alper
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Singer-Songwriter Rita Wilson Carves Out Her Authentic Self on New Single “Michelangelo”

A Renaissance sculptor’s answer about freeing an angel from marble became the heart of Rita Wilson’s new song. The singer-songwriter has shared “Michelangelo,” an empowering ballad from her album ‘Sound of a Woman,’ out now via her Sing It Loud Records, alongside an eye-catching video shot in New York City and directed by Steven Sebring (Patti Smith). It’s the second track unveiled from her ambitious sixth studio album, co-produced by Wilson and Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton).

Co-written with industry heavyweight Amy Wadge, the choir-accompanied track embraces poetic simplicity as Wilson reflects on uncovering one’s most authentic self. Her crystalline vocals sit against sparse piano that captures the contemplative, introspective nature of the lyrics.

The title carries real weight for her. “Michelangelo was asked how he made such exquisite statues out of blocks of stone; his answer was, ‘I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free,'” Wilson explains. “So much of becoming ourselves involves the lifelong work of chipping away at what’s nonessential and getting closer to the truth of who we are as women. That process is not without pain and loss, but in the end there’s so much beauty to be gained from the constant practice of looking inward with real curiosity and courage.”

She continues: “As an artist, or as a woman in any facet of our lives, we are sculpting ourselves into being. Which to me means getting rid of all the excess and discovering who you are in the most essential sense, recognizing the work you’ve done to become the person you are.” Mirroring that idea, the video finds Wilson alone in an art studio, ending with her writing Zora Neale Hurston’s words across a canvas: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

‘Sound of a Woman’ explores the arc of a woman’s life as part unfiltered memoir, part nuanced observation of the world. The album moves beyond gender bounds and cuts to the raw truth of human experience, offering catharsis, reflection, and unabashed joy along the way, with a sonic depth that matches the scope of Wilson’s soul-baring songwriting.

Rita Wilson 2026 Tour Dates:

June 9 – Pittsburgh @ City Winery

June 10 – Philadelphia @ City Winery

June 11 – Boston @ City Winery

June 13 – New York City @ City Winery

Haitian-Rooted Outfit Zonbi Conjure Spirits in a French Performance Live on KEXP

Eric Alper
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Haitian-Rooted Outfit Zonbi Conjure Spirits in a French Performance Live on KEXP

French-based outfit Zonbi bring their hypnotic, Haitian-rooted blend of saxophone-driven jazz, voodoo ritual, and heavy groove to Live on KEXP, recorded at ESMA in Rennes during Trans Musicales 2025. Led by Dimitri Milbrun on vocals and alto saxophone, the five-piece move through five tracks, “Lanmou Ak Lanmo,” “Bwodè,” “Bizango,” “Ogou Feray,” and “Divine Horsemen,” summoning a sound that’s equal parts trance, fire, and spiritual invocation.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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