Music

This weekend, Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry marks its 5000th Saturday night show — a feat that would take more than 96 years to repeat.

So what does it take to become the world’s longest-running radio show? Jeannie Seely — the Grammy-winning Opry legend who’s been a member since 1967 — has a theory. 

“It’s not like anything else,” she tells ABC Audio. “Quite often there are three generations on the stage, and three generations in the audience. You don’t see that. You may see three generations in the crowd at a sporting event, but you don’t see them on the field.”

“I think that is one thing that knits [the Opry] together,” she explains. “One generation gets to know the one before, and the one after.”

It’s a phenomenon the “Don’t Touch Me” hitmaker demonstrated backstage, as she and Ashley McBryde visited about the recent Opry induction of Carly Pearce, Ashley’s duet partner on “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.”

“I’m in [dresssing] room 18 tonight, [themed] ‘The Women of Country,'” Ashley said, “And we walked in, the first thing I did was walk over to [Carly’s] picture and take a selfie, and I was like, ‘She looks so beautiful!'” 

“It was such a whirlwind for her, and I knew that…” Jeannie reminisced. “We live in the same hood and I get to be around her now that she’s a little Opry sister — Little? You know, that I look up to,” she added.

Saturday night, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Darius Rucker, Chris Young, Vince Gill, Connie Smith, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson and many more, will help Jeannie and the Opry mark the milestone.

“After all these years, I can’t even explain what that extended family means to any artist that’s here,” she reflects. 

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If there was ever the ultimate Black Veil Brides album, The Phantom Tomorrow might be it.

The band’s sixth studio effort, due out this Friday, is a conceptually driven piece that will be accompanied by action figures and comic books. And that’s not to mention the epic, cinematic music itself.

“Being six records into our career, it was extremely important to all of us that we make a record that felt like it was an evolution for us musically, but also honored the parts of our past that have gotten us to this point,” frontman Andy Biersack tells ABC Audio.

The Phantom Tomorrow is BVB’s third concept album, following 2013’s Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones and 2018’s Vale. However, it’s a shorter, punchier listen than its predecessors, and, according to Biersack, is more interested in a “musical interpretation of an idea” than “beating you over the head with such an overt narrative.”

“You want to make a record that…stands on its own merits, but you also don’t want to make a record that the concept is impossible to understand,” Biersack says.

There still is the story to The Phantom Tomorrow, which follows a character known as Blackbird and what is essentially a personification of the supposed guaranteed existence of a tomorrow, something that might be upended by, say, a global pandemic. Basically, it’s like if Little Orphan Annie was having an existential crisis.

“[The album’s about] the idea that tomorrow is this kind of ever-present, omnipotent feeling of it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna be there, it’s always there, but the darkness that lives beneath that and the ideas that lie beneath that of, ‘But something could happen,'” Biersack says. “What bad or good could happen before that tomorrow comes has always interested me.”

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Walker Hayes‘ viral hit “Fancy Like” is known as the “Applebee’s song” because in the lyrics, he not only mentions eating at the chain restaurant, but also name checks specific menu items like Bourbon Street Steak. But Walker says he didn’t mention those things because he hoped Applebee’s would use the song in an ad or anything — he was simply describing something he and his wife Lainey have been doing for decades.

“Lainey and I have been going to Applebee’s since we were 17,” Walker tells ABC Audio. “I was stealing my dad’s credit card in high school all the time, going to Applebee’s, getting steak against his wishes!”

“Steak was up there, the price tag on the Bourbon Street Steak,” he recalls. “Dad wasn’t likin’ that.  But it was so good!”

Of course, since that Applebee’s did end up using the song in an ad — which Walker claims he never saw coming — he and his family can now eat all the Bourbon Street Steak they ever wanted.

“Lainey and I love Applebee’s. We’re so grateful that Applebee’s is winning from this song,” he tells ABC Audio. “It sounds silly…but I had no idea that Applebee’s would benefit from a silly song like this. But I love that they are, and I love that they’re making us feel, y’know, a part of the family.”

Walker’s latest single “U Gurl” also has a TikTok dance to go with it.

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Grandson has announced a new song called “Drop Dead.”

The track, which is being released in honor of the “Blood//Water” rocker’s birthday this week, will feature Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and pop star Kesha.

You can hear exactly what that sounds like when “Drop Dead,” well, drops, this Friday, October 29.

“Drop Dead” follows grandson’s single “Rain” with Jessie Reyez, which was recorded for the movie The Suicide Squad. You can also hear him on Tom Morello‘s “Hold the Line,” a track off the Rage Against the Machine guitarist’s new solo album, The Atlas Underground Fire.

Grandson released his debut album, Death of an Optimist, last December.

As a birthday gift to the grandkids, my label is finally letting me announce DROP DEAD FT @KeshaRose and @travisbarker is out this Friday!!! Run up the pre save link let em know the grandkids aren’t playing around https://t.co/3bDH5BlCGv ✖️✖️ pic.twitter.com/F5uqhu5aaw

— drop dead xx (@grandson) October 25, 2021

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NFL star Russell Wilson didn’t allow a recent injury to stop him from celebrating wife Ciara‘s 36th birthday Monday.

The Seattle Seahawks quarterback was sidelined from Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints after undergoing hand surgery. However, he made the night very special for his Grammy-winning spouse. Wilson rented the top two floors of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle observation tower and restaurant, which was filled with rose petals, candles, flowers and balloons.

“Perfect in every way. God made you for me. He made you to fit perfectly in my arms. Made you to be the amazing woman and mother you are. God made you to entertain the world with your gift to sing & dance!” he commented on Instagram.

“Awe baby. You are my everything!,” Ciara replied. “Thank you for making me feel special today, and everyday. I’m a better woman because of you! I love you so much!”

With the music of Sade‘s “No Ordinary Love” in the background, Ciara was amazed, constantly repeating, “Oh my God!”

“Wow Babe @DangeRussWilson. Thank You for loving me the way you do!,” she commented. “I didn’t have much growing up, but I can say I had a lot of love. That feeling made me feel like I could conquer the world. That’s how you make me feel. Like a little girl all over again. I love you so much!” 

As Ciara enjoyed the breathtaking view of the city, the Super Bowl winner told her, “We have a special date night tonight, me and you. A little dinner on top of Seattle….We’ll have some dessert, and more dessert later. I love you.”

The couple celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in July. They have two children together: four-year-old daughter Sienna and one-year-old son, Win.

 

 

 

 

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Travis Scott announced his star-studded Astroworld Festival lineup on Tuesday and it consists of 20 acts, including a legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band.

“November come won’t you pop out at the fest. 3rd annual Astroworld Fest line is now here. Welcome to Utopia,” La Flame wrote on Instagram. “We morphed the grounds into a new universe. This year can’t wait for y’all to see it. And I’m bringing some avengers wit me.”

He added, “PS show is sold out, but I finessed a bit more for y’all.”

Young Thug, SZA, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Roddy Ricch, Baby Keem, Bad Bunny, BIA, Don Tolliver and Master P are among the acts set for the two-day event, taking place on Friday, November 5, and Saturday, November 6, at Houston’s NRG Park. Plus, the iconic Earth, Wind & Fire, now in their sixth decade, will also perform.

After holding the fest in 2018 and 2019, Travis was forced to cancel the 2020 event due to COVID-19. Fifty-thousand people attended the one-day event in 2019. One-hundred thousand are expected for this year’s two-day fest.

In addition to music, the festival will feature an amusement park with more than 30 custom carnival games and rides, including a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel and bumper cars. Jordans from Nike, and tickets to Houston Astros home games will be among over 100 prizes that will be awarded.

The theme for the Astroworld Festival 2021 is “Open Your Eyes to a Whole New Universe.” Tickets are now on sale at AstroworldFest.com.

 

 

 

 

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Monday was Katy Perry‘s 37th birthday, and her partner Orlando Bloom celebrated her on Instagram on Tuesday with a sweet tribute.

Orlando posted a photo of the two of them at a birthday dinner, where Katy’s wearing a birthday tiara and looking at a plate of desserts with a candle in it.  Orlando captioned the photo, “We do life we do love and it’s fun. I’ll celebrate you today and everyday. I love you.”  Awww.

For her part, Katy posted a video of her Monday appearance guest-hosting The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and captioned it, “A very productive 37 so far.”  She then ticked off all the things she did on the show, including “Traded hats with Luke Bryan” and “danced like only a couple million folks were watching.”

Katy also gave away two tickets to her upcoming Las Vegas residency show, PLAY.

 

 

 

 

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It’s well known that years before Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake were chart-topping pop superstars, they appeared on the Disney Channel’s All-New Mickey Mouse Club together.  But other kids who were on the show went on to have pretty solid careers, too, like Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell. So what does Felicity and The Americans star Russell think about what her old pal Britney is going through now?

“I just hope she’s happy, whatever that means,” Russell told Page Six on Monday night at a screening for her new movie, Antlers. “I don’t know if any of us really know how her life really is, but I just hope she’s happy.”

Russell was on All-New Mickey Mouse Club from 1991 to 1993, while Britney, Christina, Justin and Ryan appeared from 1993-1994.

The next court date in Britney’s ongoing conservatorship case is November 12, and it’s possible that a judge will agree to end the 13-year conservatorship on that day.  In her latest Instagram post, she’s dancing to Whitney Houston‘s “I’m Your Baby Tonight.”

“I danced my little heart out yesterday … yes … old school … but the best voice of all time … Whitney…. rhymes with B !!!!!!” Britney captioned the video, adding, “ok so I was feeling myself… it’s fun to be sassy sometimes!!!!”

 

 

 

 

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