Music

Lil Nas X had a unique way to raise money for charity — a fake “baby registry.”  If you forgot, the Grammy winner pretended to be pregnant and “gave birth” to his debut studio album, Montero, about six months ago.

During that time, he created a baby registry — but didn’t ask fans to spoil him with gifts.  Instead, he encouraged people to donate to 16 important charities that assist underserved and vulnerable communities.

Most of the organizations are members of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative, a campaign from Gilead Sciences aimed at stopping the AIDS/HIV epidemic in the American South. Lil Nas X’s unique fundraising idea generated close to $500,000 that will be distributed across the organizations.  

“I’m so thankful to everybody who donated to my baby registry and joined me in helping to transform all of these communities in the South,” he said in a statement. “Together we are giving much-needed resources to those who need it most – especially those impacted by HIV – and also helping inspire the leaders who are constantly fighting for HIV education and awareness.””

Gilead Sciences’ Dr. Shanell L. McGoy said Lil Nas X’s gift will change lives and released a statement saying, “Donations from the Montero baby registry will have a direct impact on communities affected by HIV and we’re deeply thankful for Lil Nas X and his sustained advocacy for HIV awareness and education.”

Other charities the “Industry Baby” rapper encouraged fans to donate to were The Bail Project, which aims to end mass incarceration by doing away with cash bail; What’s in the Mirror, which hopes to end the stigma of mental health, and Cade Foundation, which assists families struggling with infertility.   

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Tool‘s Adam Jones has teamed up with the Gibson guitar company once again for a new signature model.

The Adam Jones Les Paul Standard from Gibson USA is a new take on Jones’ favorite guitar, a Silverburst 1979 Gibson Les Paul.  The new guitar has an Antique Silverburst finish, an ebony fretboard, mother-of-pearl inlays and Grover Rotomatic tuners, plus two pickups: a BurstBucker on the neck and a DC High Gain Humbucker on the bridge.

The instrument also features Jones’ signature on the truss rod cover and his custom artwork in the back of the headstock.  It costs $3,000…but that includes the case.  

You can see the new guitar in all its glory in a new video.

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While Chris Rock may be keeping his silence on the infamous Oscars slapping incident, his fans are loudly speaking up for him. 

After Sunday night’s unexpected altercation, online ticket marketplace TickPick, saw a huge increase of sales for Rock’s Ego Death World Tour.

The marketplace, which prides itself on its no-hidden fees strategy, said in a tweet on Monday, “We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined.”

Co-CEO Brett Goldberg confirmed the news to ABC Audio, detailing the company’s Monday morning marketing meeting that revealed the shocking data. 

“When we went to go look at the sales data, it showed that in the last 24 hours since the Oscars, we had sold as many tickets for the whole tour in the 12 hours that we sold in the last month,” Goldberg said. “We have seen prices for the whole tour across the nation increased by 50 percent.”

Goldberg says, because fans are expecting a response from the comedian, high demand for tickets is expected to continue. 

“Per ticket, all in, was around $50 a couple of weeks ago,” said Goldberg of Rock’s upcoming first tour stop in Boston on Wednesday. “Day of the Oscars, we had tickets listed for $50 and now they’re over $500 for that show.”

The uptick in sales didn’t only come from Rock’s solo tour but also his joint venture, “Rock Hart, Only Headliners Allowed” with Kevin Hart. 

The co-CEO says he thinks the most interesting part of it all is – despite Rock’s celebrity status – “most people probably didn’t know that he was touring.”

Sounds like people certainly know now. 

Despite rumors and a fake apology that floated the internet, as of Tuesday afternoon, Rock still had not made a statement.

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Blake Shelton may be Mr. Personality as a coach on The Voice, but when it comes to his cocktail of choice, he keeps it pretty simple. 

Blake has previously shared that his go-to alcoholic beverage is a low-key vodka with a splash of lemon-line soda, both at home and when he goes out for a night on the town. “It’s easy and refreshing, and I personally don’t like too much that will outshine the vodka,” Blake tells The Daily Beast. ”I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes to drinks.” 

As for his favorite karaoke song, don’t be surprised if Blake steps up to the microphone with “My Life” by Billy Joel or UB40‘s “Red Red Wine” — and a vodka soda in hand. 

Blake is also the proud owner of bar and restaurant Ole Red, which has five locations across the U.S.: in Nashville and Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Las Vegas; Orlando, Florida; and his hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

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Grab your tickets to Summerfest, because you’ll be able to see Halsey, Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly and many other A-list stars in the same location.

The festival, which takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, runs over three weekends: June 23 to June 25, June 30 to July 2, and July 7 to July 9. The 10-day event features more than 100 acts performing on 12 stages.

Halsey, Justin and MGK are set to headline ticketed shows at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. The festival grounds will feature performances by over 100 artists this year and the list includes Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, GAYLE, Charli XCX, WILLOW, Alessia Cara, Boyz II Men, for KING & COUNTRY, Dean Lewis, JoJo, and many more.

The complete roster has been posted on Summerfest’s official website. 

The top-of-the-bill headliners, like Halsey, Justin and MGK, will be performing at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, and fans are required to purchase tickets. Free general admission tickets are given on a first come first served basis the day of the event, but reserved seating at the non-Amphitheater is also available for purchase. 

There are also single-artist tickets offered, as well as a Level Up package that includes admission, two beverages and access to a private bar, restrooms, and more. They are on sale now on the event’s website.

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More than 100 artists are ready to entertain you at the 2022 edition of SummerFest, taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It runs over three weekends: June 23-25, June 30-July 2, and July 7-9.

Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne and iann dior had already announced their July 1 headlining Summerfest appearance, but other acts who’ll be appearing include Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Anthrax, Halestorm, Portugal. The Man, WILLOW, The Revivalists, GAYLE and The Breeders.

But wait, there’s more: The lineup also includes Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Great White, Lita Ford, The Record Company, Skillet, Skid Row, Bob Mould, Pop Evil, Lit, The Smithereens, and Meat Puppets, among many, many other acts. Check out the official website for the full lineup.

Free general admission tickets are given on a first come first served basis the day of the event, but fans can also begin purchasing reserved seating now for those headliners who’ll be performing at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, like Halsey, MGK and Avril.

Fans can also take advantage of the Level Up offering, which includes admission, two free beverages and access to a private bar, restrooms, and more. Those are on sale now via the event’s website.

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Maren Morris says the COVID-19 pandemic helped shape her perspective on her place in country music. 

In an interview with Pitchfork, Maren reveals that she was “relieved” her RSVP: The Tour got cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. She says the forced downtime allowed her to put life, and how she creates, into perspective. 

“That perpetual growing insecurity of knowing my place in country music,” she replies in response to what she’s stopped worrying about since the onset of the pandemic. “Even though I’ve been successful over the years, I still feel like this middle child in a lot of ways. I’m not really new anymore—I’m established. I’m not country enough for the super-country folks, and I’m too country for the pop folks. But I was forced to stop for two years and think about, like, ‘who gives a f**?'” 

Maren says the challenging experience of the pandemic also taught her to not take herself “so seriously,” a mindset that influenced her new album, Humble Quest. 

“That’s why this album is titled the way it is. All my plans, all the things that I mapped out—even my pregnancy—it’s just so idiotic to think that I could snap back in two months and go tour again,” she continues. “I realized I’m not in control. It sounds cliché but I’ve taken stock of the things I actually care about. Motherhood sharpened a lot of that for me. Not having a crowd every night sharpened that for me.” 

Maren will return to the road when the Humble Quest Tour launches in June. 

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Brad Paisley is going on a World Tour. 

The “This Is Country Music” singer will traverse across the globe for six months, making stops in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, marking his first tour in that country. 

The trek begins on May 27 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, and the singer will spend the month of July across the pond performing at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland and more. He returns to the U.S. in August before jetting off to Australia and New Zealand where he’ll conclude the tour in Auckland, N.Z. on October 8. 

Brad is bringing a team of opening acts with him that includes Scotty McCreery, Tenille Townes, Morgan Evans, Tracy Lawrence and Caylee Hammack. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go toward Brad and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s nonprofit, The Store, a free referral-based grocery store in Nashville. 

Tickets go on sale April 1 and April 8 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Brad’s website for a full list of dates. 

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As you might have predicted, Foo Fighters‘ tour is not going forward in the wake of the shocking death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

“It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins,” reads a statement from Dave Grohl and company.

“We’re sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won’t be seeing one another as planned,” they continue. “Instead, let’s take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we’ve made together.”

The band had a series of dates planned for May, July and August, as well as an additional leg that was to have started in September.

Hawkins, 50, was found dead in his hotel room Friday night in Bogota, Colombia, where the band was scheduled to perform at a festival. While an official cause of death hasn’t been announced, officials in Colombia stated that 10 different substances were found in Hawkins’ urine.

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