Jon Batiste performs onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Jon Batiste is canceling some upcoming shows due to “personal circumstances.”
The musician made the announcement in a post shared on the Instagram page of Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, where he was scheduled to play on Thursday.
“Hello! As I navigate some personal circumstances, I unfortunately need to cancel a portion of my upcoming performance dates including at the Westville Music Bowl on August 13th,” the message read.
“As we continue the rollout and release of my new albums, Monk Meditations and Monk Movements, my team and I are finding new ways and opportunities to share live music with you,” he continued. “There’s much more to come, and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.”
The message added that refunds would be available at point of purchase. Batiste ended by thanking fans for their understanding and support. He did not specify what personal circumstances led to the cancellation.
His shows at TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann in Philadelphia on Friday and at Forest Hills Stadium in New York on Saturday were also canceled.
Roger Taylor’s ‘Violence Insane in a Beautiful World’ (Columbia Records)
Queen’s Roger Taylor is offering up another preview of his upcoming solo album, Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, which will be released Sept. 18.
The rocker has just released the new single “I See You Now,” accompanied by a black-and-white video — except for Taylor’s red high-tops — created by Taylor’s wife, Sarina Taylor, and his longtime collaborator Simon Lupton.
“It’s a love song, it’s really about my wife,” Taylor says of the tune. “We’ve been together for quite some time, and I think when you really get to know someone, at first you really don’t see everything about them, but when you really get to know someone, it’s ‘oh, I see you now, that’s it.'”
This is the second single Taylor has released from Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, his seventh solo album. He previously released the track “Come on Summer (It’s Party Time),” featuring The Ndlovu Youth Choir.
To celebrate the album’s release, Taylor will head out on a U.K. tour beginning Sept. 21 in Newcastle, with stops in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Swansea and London. A complete list of dates can be found at rogertaylorofficial.com.
What has Janet Jackson done for us lately? Well, she’s just scheduled a special performance that will be filmed and released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her breakthrough album, Control.
Janet Jackson: Control 40 — The Airtab Music Movie will be filmed Dec. 12 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The film will include behind-the-scenes footage, creating what’s described in a press release as “the definitive filmed document of one of music’s most celebrated performers.”
Rather than simply focusing on the Control album, however, the concert will encompass Janet’s entire catalog, from “Nasty” to “All for You” and every smash hit in between. The movie is planned to have a global release, followed by a release on streaming.
Control, released in 1986, was Janet’s third album. It marked the moment when she took the reins of her career artistically, working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to develop a unique sound that blended R&B, rap, funk, disco and electronic elements.
The album was hugely influential and spun off the hits “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “Nasty,” “When I Think of You,” “Let’s Wait Awhile” and the title track. All five of those songs peaked in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, making Janet the first female artist score five top-10s from a single album. It’s sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Rod Stewart performs during the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, an annual event honouring military service members, which holds special significance in 2025 as it marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, at the Royal Albert Hall on November 8, 2025 in London, England. (Jack Taylor/Wpa Pool/Getty Images)
Sir Rod Stewart is on the mend after undergoing a routine heart procedure.
A statement shared Tuesday on his official Instagram account said he has “successfully undergone a routine coronary stent procedure,” adding that he’s canceling several dates on his current tour to recuperate.
“Doctors are pleased with his recovery, and Rod is doing very well and has returned to his normal daily activities,” the statement said. “On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage.”
The statement continued, “Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates.”
The statement ended by saying that information about the affected performances will be shared by promoters and venues.
Rod later gave fans an update on his health in a message on his Instagram Story.
“I’m already feeling better and very much on the mend,” he wrote. “I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me.”
“I’m deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again,” he added.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a stent is a small mesh tube used to widen and hold open passages in the body. It is most often used to treat narrowing of the coronary arteries, which “provide the heart with oxygen-rich blood.”
The NHLBI adds that the most common type of stents are used in the coronary arteries. Doctors may recommend a stent to support a narrow or weak artery or airway.
Following a stent procedure, patients may resume normal physical activity when doctors give the green light. Doctors will require patients to take medicine.
Stewart was currently on his One Last Time Tour, which was slated to wrap in Kansas City, Missouri, on Aug. 15.
He was also slated to perform several shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, starting on Aug. 18, and had 2026 dates booked through Sept. 13.
Metallica’s landmark 1991 self-titled album aka the Black Album turns 35 Wednesday. The RIAA-certified double Diamond record is credited with bringing metal to the masses with the singles “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “The Unforgiven,” “Sad but True” and “Wherever I May Roam,” and influencing countless heavy bands to come.
The Warning is very much one of those bands. The sister trio of lead vocalist and guitarist Daniela “Dany” Villarreal, drummer Paulina “Pau” Villarreal and bassist Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal put themselves on the map with a 2014 viral cover of “Enter Sandman,” which was recorded when the members were 14, 12 and 9 years old.
“It’s such an integral part of our journey,” Pau tells ABC Audio of “Enter Sandman.” “It was one of the first songs we ever played together as a band.”
Over a decade later, The Warning is preparing to release their fifth album, Everything’s Falling, on Aug. 28. As The Warning continues on with their own career, including earning a top-five hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with lead Everything’s Falling single “Kerosene,” the band members feel that they’ve contributed to the ever-growing legacy of the Black Album.
“When we started playing ‘Enter Sandman,’ the album wasn’t exactly new, but it gave life to a new band and new generation of … rock,” Pau says. “It’s very special to see how that album will keep inspiring other people to do what they do.”
The Warning’s interpretation of “Enter Sandman” has continued to evolve, too. They teamed up with singer Alessia Cara for a joint cover on the 2021 Metallica Blacklist compilation, and performed it with a string arrangement for a 2023 concert in Mexico City.
Dany points to the version with Cara as an example of how “music can connect us all in such different ways.”
“We just came together for this song to celebrate it, and it became something different and beautiful at the same time,” Dany says.
Russell Dickerson performs on ABC’s ‘CMA Fest presented by SoFi’ (Disney/Connie Chornuk)
Russell Dickerson’s currently out on his Russellmania tour, but he says since the success of his smash hit “Happen to Me,” he’s noticed something different about his audiences: They’re multi-generational.
“That is the most beautiful thing,” he tells ABC Audio. “They’re like full families — kids, sons, daughters — they’re coming, they got their merch, they’ve got their wrestling gear, and the sunglasses and the boas.”
He says it’s an “honor” to be “trusted with somebody’s Friday night,” adding, “Being a family environment, they can all go and make memories together as a family.” In fact, Russell says for the first time, he’s selling kids’ merchandise at his concerts, because “there are a ton of kids” there.
There’s also about to be more kids back home: Russell and his wife Kailey Dickerson recently announced that they’re expecting baby #3, who’ll join sons Remington Dickerson, 5, and Radford Dickerson, 2. Now, he just has to hope that the home reno project he and Kailey have been dealing with for ages will be ready in time for the new arrival.
“It’s been two years!” he laughs. “It went from a renovation to, like, completely rebuilding our dream home. And I’m just grateful to have had the success I’ve had in the last two years, because otherwise I would be completely freaking out!”
One feature of the new house, though, will be a number of firepits and fireplaces, which are, as Russell says, “100% s’mores ready.” Which is convenient because he’s just partnered with Hershey’s to ask fans to join in a national debate: When it comes to the marshmallows in your s’mores, are you Camp Toasty or Camp Gooey?
“I have a very passionate stance on Team Gooey, because I want it to be gooey all the way through,” he says. “I like the gooeyness of the mallow dripping down onto the chocolate, you know? And then it’s like running down your hand and just, like, that’s a s’more to me.”
And as for letting Remy and Rad chow down on the sweet treats?
“To me, it’s all about the memories, you know?” he says. “I feel like we do pretty good throughout the day. So when it’s time for a s’more, we just let them have at it.”
Vic Mensa attends the 6th Annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards at The Beverly Hilton on June 5, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for 6th Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards)
Vic Mensa has announced the launch of a new weekly podcast.
The Vic Mensa Show, produced by his new ORANJ media company, will explore “the intersection of music, politics and culture.” It follows his Webby-winning social media storytelling project, Orange Tree Series.
“The Orange Tree illustrated for me the transcendent possibilities of conversation: a space for the discussion of radical ideas, humor, honesty and vulnerability,” Mensa says in a statement. “What began as a conversation with my community online is now expanding, through The Vic Mensa Show, to include great minds that I respect across many disciplines.”
Chance the Rapper will be the podcast’s first guest. The debut episode premieres Aug. 26 and airs weekly on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts.
Season 1 of the podcast will feature 24 episodes. Other confirmed guests include Durand Bernarr, Rapsody, Lena Waithe, Aja Monet and Van Lathan Jr.
Guitarist Brian May of Queen attends the “We Will Rock You” musical premiere at Stage Palladium Theater on October 17, 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images)
Queen’s Brian May is sharing his thoughts on artificial intelligence, and he isn’t the biggest fan.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer posted a photo on Instagram of what he says is the result of asking Meta AI to show him the cover of the band’s 1980 album The Game. It is clearly not the original album’s cover, or the actual band members in the photo.
“Good job, eh ? So this is the kind of intelligence that will soon be ruling the world ??!” he wrote next to the picture. “Well, great. Maybe this is the time to realise WE ACTUALLY DON’T NEED AI !!!”
“But I’m now very serious. I believe the price we are about to pay for this ‘inevitable’ development is way too high,” he added, before going off on AI data centers.
“We must not allow these hideous Data Centres to be built in the UK,” he wrote. “They will destroy our beautiful country, like they are already destroying beautiful America.”
In other May news … The rocker recently released the new track “The Legend of Eternia,” described as “his own brand new version of themes from the film” Masters of the Universe. The song features The Darkness and British composer Daniel Pemberton. May’s guitar work was previously featured on Pemberton’s Masters of the Universe track “Eternia,” which was released in May.
Hoobastank has announced a Los Angeles concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band’s 2001 self-titled debut album.
The show will take place at The Roxy Theatre on Nov. 20 and will feature a performance of the Hoobastank album in full.
“The Energy” band Audiovent will also be on the bill.
Presales are open now, and tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. PT. For all ticket info, visit TheRoxy.com.
The headlining show will follow Hoobastank’s tour supporting Staind, which launches in September. Staind will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their breakout album, 2001’s Break the Cycle.
Demi Lovato attends the world premiere of ‘Camp Rock 3’ at the The Walt Disney Studios Lot in Burbank on Monday, August 10, 2026. (Disney/Gregg DeGuire)
Demi Lovato is not only “Confident,” she’s also “Cool” — for the summer, of course. And she’s just received some major sales awards for both those songs.
“Confident” and “Cool for the Summer” have both been RIAA-certified five-times Platinum, meaning each of those songs has sold 5 million units. Both songs are from her 2015 album Confident. The album itself has been RIAA-certified Platinum.
Demi received special plaques marking these achievements right before she walked the red carpet at the Camp Rock 3 premiere. As previously reported, Demi co-executive produced the film and also reprises her role as Mitchie Torres in the film.
Meanwhile, Demi and her husband, Jordan “Jutes” Lutes, celebrated their first wedding anniversary in May. Speaking to People about what she’s learned in that year, she said, “When you’re able to communicate with each other what you need, what you want, it creates a safe space for the two of you to share your feelings with one another.”
“My love for Jordan grows every single day, and I’ve never been so happy in my life. So I think communication is a big part of that.”
