Music

Cole Swindell is heading “Back Down to the Bar” with a headlining tour this fall. 

After concluding his Down to the Bar Tour in April, the country hitmaker couldn’t wait to get back out on the road, so he’s booked a string of dates on the Back Down to the Bar Tour, kicking off on September 23 in Texas.

The 19-date trek takes him and opening acts, Ashley Cooke and Dylan Marlowe, all across the country, including stops in Boston, Nashville, Tulsa, Orlando and other major cities before wrapping up on November 19. 

“Well… we had so much fun on the Down to the Bar tour that we decided to do it all over again in the fall with my friends @theashleycooke and @dylanmarlowemusic,” Cole expressed on Instagram. “Can’t wait to see y’all out there and play this new music for you. It’s gonna be a hell of a time!” 

Cole released his new album, Stereotype, in April. It features two consecutive #1 hits, “Single Saturday Night” and “Never Say Never” with Lainey Wilson. 

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Post Malone reached out to Kurt Cobain‘s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, for her approval of his Nirvana tribute performance.

During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, the “Circles” artist shared that it was “important” for him to get Frances’ blessing.

“I loved Kurt so much,” Post said. “He’s been such an inspiration to me, musically.”

“I…never want to offend anybody by trying to show support, so I just wanted to make sure everything was OK,” he continued. “And it was OK.”

Post streamed the Nirvana tribute performance, which featured Blink-182‘s Travis Barker on drums, in April 2020. It was one of the first major streaming concerts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it helped raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts.

“We raised money for a good cause, and we got to play some of the most f***ing epic songs ever,” Post said.

In addition to Frances’ approval, Post also got a thumbs-up from Kurt’s widow, Courtney Love, who shared that the performance gave her “goosebumps.” Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic also said that he was “so proud” watching the stream.

You can still watch an archive of the stream now on YouTube. It currently has over 17 million views.

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After coming back from their “extended period of rest” in early March, BTS is going on a hiatus so the group can focus on their solo careers.

The septet broke the news when celebrating their ninth anniversary at their annual FESTA dinner on Tuesday.  The annual event sees the group chowing down on a mighty feast while recapping everything that happened over the past year and their fondest memories as a group, which is why they felt that was the best moment to break the news.

The Grammy nominees understood fans would be disappointed by the announcement. “We can’t help but think of our fans no matter what, we want to be the kind of artists that are remembered by our fans,” Jimin noted. “I think now we’re starting to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered by our fans.”

He added BTS is “going through a rough patch right now” and explained, “We’re trying to find our identity and that’s an exhausting and long process.”

RM spoke of why the hiatus is a good thing, telling fans, “I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something.”

“I don’t know what kind of direction our group has to take,” he added, but J-Hope expressed optimism the hiatus will let “BTS… become stronger.”

V chimed in that with this decision, “I think 90 percent of our fans would root for us no matter what kind of music or what kind of direction we choose.”

The group didn’t go into detail over a timeline of solo releases or when their hiatus will end.

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In an interview with Gayle King as part of Tribeca Film Festival’s Directors Series Monday night, Tyler Perry shed light on Will Smith‘s infamous Oscar night slap of presenter Chris Rock.

Perry was seen by Smith’s side after the assault and foul-mouthed lambasting of Rock, who’d made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. He denied he was “comforting” Smith during a commercial break.

“There’s a difference between comforting and deescalating, that’s No. 1,” Perry explained, according to People. “And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay.”

“Trust me, as painful as it was for all of us in the room, it was as painful for Chris,” Perry expressed, calling Rock “a pure champion for the way he handled it.”

He noted, “…something happened that was extremely painful for [Will] as well.”

Perry added, “That is no excuse. He was completely wrong for what he did. But something triggered him….”

“And I’ll tell you, when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe…he did it.”

“I’m looking at this man in his eyes going, ‘What are you doing? This is your night,'” Perry recalled, explaining the incident sullied, “one of the crowning moments of his career…”

“I just read his book,” the actor continued of Smith, “and there’s this moment about not being able to protect his mother [as a child]…And if that trauma is not dealt with right away, as you get older it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time. I know Will. I know him well.”

The filmmaker noted Smith is “very much in reflection” about the incident, for which the King Richard star apologized, and which got him banned from Motion Picture Academy events for 10 years.

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Metallica has announced a collaboration with the guitar instruction platform Yousician. 

The course allows you to jam alongside ‘Tallica members James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett as they take a deep dive into their approach and technique.

“So, you want to play like Metallica?” Hetfield asks in a trailer for the program. “The best way to play like us is to play with us.”

“The Metallica x Yousician courses get guitar players up close and personal with the master musicians they idolize,” says Hadley Spanier, Yousician’s Head of Artist Partnerships. “Players will have the opportunity to learn how to play like Metallica straight from Metallica!”

“The unique course pairs unmatched access to the band with Yousician’s AI technology so that guitarists-in-training not only get to learn from the masters, but also get the feedback they need to improve,” Spanier explains. “Players will feel like they are part of the band, playing alongside their idols as they try to master some of the greatest guitar-driven songs of all time.”

The course offers lessons on 10 Metallica songs including “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “Master of Puppets,” which, as Hetfield quips, you’ll learn to play “the real way.”

For more info, visit Yousician.com.

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The Wanted‘s Tom Parker passed away from brain cancer in March, and shortly after, it was revealed Ed Sheeran helped pay for his treatments.

His widow, Kelsey Parker, is ready to talk about Ed’s good deed and revealed how she thanked the “Shivers” singer for his kindness after running into him at a recent music festival.

“Ed was just amazing, just an unbelievable person,” she told the British talk show Lorraine. “I actually got him a gift and I got him some crystals.”

Kelsey admits it was difficult trying to think of how to thank Ed, noting, “What do you get someone who’s got everything?”

“What he did for us, for our family, to give me more time with Tom… He’s an unbelievable person.  He didn’t need to do that,” she continued of Ed’s selflessness. “And he didn’t even ask me anything from it.”

It was revealed in Parker’s posthumous memoir, Hope, that Ed “helped out with my medical bills when I was seeking other treatment options and having private immunotherapy.”  

Calling Ed a “very special man,” the memoir continued, “He didn’t need to do any of that, but my wife Kelsey and I are so grateful to him for his support. It meant the world.”

As previously reported, Parker was diagnosed in October 2020 with an inoperable glioblastoma, a stage four brain tumor. Kelsey confirmed his passing on March 30. Aside from his wife, he left behind their almost three-year-old daughter, Aurelia, and one-year-old son, Bodhi.

Ed paid tribute to Parker after the tragic news broke, writing on Instagram, “So sad to hear of Tom’s passing. Thoughts and love are with Kelsey, his children and his family. Very sad day, what a lovely guy.”

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After revealing in February that she was “in the process of buying a new home,” we finally know where Britney Spears is moving.

Dirt reports the Grammy winner picked up the keys to her new mansion in Calabasas, California, which cost her a cool $11.8 million. The double-gated home is armed to the teeth with security, meaning Britney doesn’t have to worry about unexpected or unwanted guests dropping by.

The six bedroom, nine bathroom mansion also comes with a wine cellar, 10-seat movie theater, hand-carved fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, a patio complete with a barbecue center, gym, 55-foot pool with tiered waterfalls, spa and many other luxurious amenities. 

Britney also has some new neighbors — newlyweds Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker.

In other Britney news, TMZ reports the “Toxic” singer has signed a major prenup with husband Sam Asghari.  Both have agreed the Iranian-born actor is not entitled to any of the earnings she made before they wed — meaning should they ever part ways, Sam won’t be able to take a slice out of Britney’s $60 million dollar fortune.

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Elton John‘s collaboration with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart,” which combines four of his previous songs into one track, has become his biggest hit in years. Now, there’s a report that he’s working on a follow-up.

Showbiz411 reports that Elton is going to re-team with PNAU, the Australian trio who created “Cold Heart,” for another such mashup, and he’ll be joined by “a secret superstar” — likely “someone contemporary and young.”

The website reports that the song will arrive next month with an eye towards summer airplay. The report notes that this will not be a track from Elton’s star-studded duets album The Lockdown Sessions — it’ll be a completely new song.

The Lockdown Sessions featured Elton singing with everyone from Lil Nas X and Nicki Minaj to Eddie Vedder, Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nicks.

Also next month, Elton’s latest theatrical work, The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical, premieres at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. Elton wrote the music, and Shaina Taub wrote the lyrics for the show, which launches July 19 and is based on the hit movie of the same name. Showbiz411 notes that this marks the first time Elton has collaborated with a female songwriter.

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Gorillaz has announced a new song called “Cracker Island.”

The track will arrive next Wednesday, June 22 and is available to presave now.

“Cracker Island” will be the first single to follow Gorillaz’s 2021 EP Meanwhile. The most recent album from the Damon Albarn-led cartoon band is 2020’s Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, which featured collaborations from The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Beck, St. Vincent and Elton John.

Last month, Gorillaz announced a North American tour, set to kick off in September. Along the way, the group will headline the 2022 Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival in Las Vegas.

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