Music

Nonprofit Freedom Forum will launch the inaugural Freely Festival in April, and it has tapped T-Pain and Janelle Monáe, among others, to take the stage.

The festival will “celebrate the power of music and the constitutional rights that make creative expression possible,” according to a press release, via “purposeful entertainment, artist storytelling, and interactive experiences that bring free expression to life in a way that feels relevant and resonant.”

It will take place April 8, 2026, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, also featuring performances by The Killers, Dominic Fike and Avery Anna. A presale for the show begins Thursday at FreelyFest.org, with a general sale to follow if tickets remain.

Freedom Forum is “one of the nation’s leading voices on the First Amendment and the five freedoms it protects,” as per the website.

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Kelsea Ballerini‘s touring year has come to a close with her Saturday night show Down Under.

“Brisbane, i couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the year and this life changing tour,” she posted on Monday. “thank you to all 11,000 of you for being one of the best crowds we had the honor to play for this year, and thank you for having cute animals to sit in parks with on off days.”

Of course, “I Sit in Parks” is the lead single from Kelsea’s new Mount Pleasant EP. One of the photos included in her post shows her on a green lawn in an area filled with kangaroos. 

Kelsea went on to express her grief over the Sunday shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 dead and more than 40 injured.

“also want to say how truly heartbroken i am at the horrific attack at Bondi,” Kelsea’s post continues. “there just aren’t the right words, but my heart is with the families grieving the loss of their loved ones, and the hundreds of people grieving the loss of what once felt safe. praying for our world.”

So far, we don’t know much about Kelsea’s plans for 2026, as she hasn’t announced any tour plans beyond a couple shows in June.

You can check out her just-released video for the Mount Pleasant track “Emerald City” on YouTube now.

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Queens of the Stone Age‘s Alive in the Catacombs is now streaming on YouTube.

The concert film was recorded during a July 2024 performance in the famed Catacombs of Paris. It was previously available for purchase via the QotSA website and screened in theaters.

Queens have also uploaded the accompanying behind-the-scenes documentary Alive in Paris and Before to YouTube.

After first premiering Alive in the Catacombs, QotSA embarked on the Catacombs U.S. tour, which featured special arrangements inspired by the Paris experience.

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Since she became a pop superstar, there have been many times that Olivia Rodrigo has gotten to meet some of her heroes — but she says one celebrity encounter in particular is probably her #1 “WTF moment.”

Olivia is the guest on the Dec. 16 episode of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s new Music Makes Us podcast, hosted by Kathleen Hanna of legendary riot grrrl band Bikini Kill. When Kathleen asks Olivia about her “WTF” moments, Olivia mentions having Lorde in the audience when she appeared on Saturday Night Live and performing with The Cure‘s Robert Smith at the Glastonbury Festival this year.

“Kinda the biggest one is, I used to write One Direction fan fiction when I was in elementary school,” Olivia said. “Many years later, I hung out with Harry Styles and we, like, got tea and we, like, walked around. And I got home and I was like, ‘What the f***?’ I feel like I, like, wrote that in a fan fiction and now I like lived it, like that is so crazy how that can happen in your life.”

“He’s so sweet,” she added. “If I told 10-year-old Olivia, she’d be like, ‘Shut the f*** up, you’re lying!'”

During the interview, Olivia also said that the album she goes back to when she needs to “reconnect” with herself is Alanis Morissette‘s Jagged Little Pill.

“For some reason that album, just, like, every part of what makes a human being a human being, it feels like it’s encapsulated in that record,” she said. “There’s so much anger and spite and jealousy but also so much joy and hope, all like intertwined into each other in such a beautiful way.”

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Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme and KISS‘ Gene Simmons are among the artists playing a tribute show to late AC/DC singer Bon Scott.

The concert will take place Feb. 3 at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. It doubles as a 60th birthday celebration for comedian Dean Delray, who will be hosting the night and also handling lead vocals.

Other performers include Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, Primus guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez, former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee.

For ticket info, visit DeanDelray.com.

Scott died in 1980 at age 33. AC/DC then recruited vocalist Brian Johnson for their next album, 1980’s Back in Black. Johnson remains AC/DC’s singer today.

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Foreigner has announced some new 2026 tour dates with original frontman Lou Gramm.

The band is set to reunite with Gramm for a string of Florida shows that kick off April 17 in St. Augustine, wrapping April 23 in Key West.

Foreigner played several dates with Gramm in December. According to setlist.fm, Gramm joined the band for five songs, including “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Hot Blooded” and “Urgent.”

Foreigner also has several 2026 dates planned without Gramm. They launch a string of unplugged shows on Feb. 25 in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and then hit Las Vegas for an orchestral residency at The Venetian Theatre on March 6.

They are also touring this summer with Lynyrd Skynyrd on the Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, which starts July 23 in Atlanta.

A complete list of Foreigner dates can be found at ForeignerOnline.com.

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Nelly hosted his annual Black and White Ball on Sunday in St. Louis, celebrating his hometown while raising funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and scholarships for students at Harris-Stowe State University.

The black-tie event featured the presentation of a Disney World trip to 4-year-old Make-A-Wish patient Elijah Gilligan and his family, who were in attendance. It also included a full scholarship for Te’Ron Moore, covering tuition and books for his time at Harris-Stowe State.

Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee was honored with the Black and White Ball Legend Award. And Nelly was surprised with Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas’ highest honor, the Wish Icon Award. Performances included headliners Busta Rhymes and Doug E. Fresh, while Nelly, Ashanti, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, DJ Irie, Polow Da Don and St. Lunatics — who Nelly announced are dropping a Metro Boomin-produced album in 2026 — also took the stage.

“I’m truly humbled by the incredible support from the St. Louis community,” Nelly said in a statement. “From our sponsors and partners to the performers and celebrity friends who showed up with heart, everyone came together for a shared purpose—granting scholarships and fulfilling wishes. We’re deeply grateful for the continued support that allows us to invest in and uplift our youth.”

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The Killers are among the headliners for the inaugural Freely Fest, a concert “celebrating the power of music and the freedoms protected by the First Amendment.”

Freely Fest, presented by the organization Freedom Forum, takes place April 8 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The lineup also includes T-Pain, Dominic Fike, Janelle Monáe and Avery Anna.

“Freely Fest will blend musical performances, artists’ stories about the power of free expression, and interactive experiences that highlight the importance of our First Amendment freedoms — onstage and off,” a press release reads.

A presale begins Thursday at 10 a.m. CT. A public sale will follow if tickets remain.

For more info, visit FreelyFest.org.

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Morgan Wallen is now the top-selling country artist of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

The latest numbers from the RIAA show Morgan has sold 239.5 million singles and 26 million albums, for a total of 265.5 million units. That makes him the third-most-certified artist in any genre, behind Drake and Taylor Swift.

I’m the Problem, which came out in May, is now quadruple Platinum, with 22 of its 37 tracks already certified Gold or higher. 

Previous records Dangerous: The Double Album and One Thing at a Time are now nine-times Platinum. Additionally, every song on Dangerous and his first album, If I Know Me, has reached the Gold level.

When it comes to singles, Morgan has five that have been certified Diamond, for sales of 10 million or more. “Whiskey Glasses” is 13-times Platinum, while “Last Night” and “Wasted on You” are both 12-times Platinum. His 2019 collab with Diplo, “Heartless,” just reached the Diamond level, as well. 

You can check out the full rundown of Morgan’s certification on the RIAA website. 

In early October, the RIAA declared Luke Combs the highest-selling country artist in history, with 168 million units, a record previously held by Garth Brooks. 

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The upcoming Music of Billy Joel tribute concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, scheduled for March 12, was the first in the long-running charity concert series to sell out before any performers were announced. Now, ticket holders finally know who they’re going to see at the show.

The tribute will feature Billy’s entire touring band as the house band. As previously reported, one of the performers will be Billy’s daughter, singer/songwriter Alexa Ray Joel. Other confirmed artists on the bill include Rob Thomas, Train‘s Pat Monahan, Gavin DeGraw, Matt Nathanson, Marc Roberge of O.A.R., singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, country icon Tanya Tucker and Americana stars Mary Chapin Carpenter and The War and Treaty, with more performers to be announced.

Presented by New York promoter, venue owner and producer Michael Dorf, the Music Of tribute concerts raise funds for nonprofit organizations devoted to music education. Since their inception in 2004, the annual concerts have honored iconic performers such as Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Prince and Aretha Franklin.

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