Ed Sheeran celebrated the success of his number-one album, = (Equals), by transforming a New York City hotel into a traditional English pub this past weekend.
Ed teamed with Spotify to turn The Bowery Hotel into ‘The Butterfly,’ an English pub with English food and decor, as well as beers inspired by his album. Fans and their families who attended also got to have an ‘English Sunday Roast‘ — a traditional meal that includes roasted meat, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, gravy and vegetables.
Ed also entertained the guests by performing songs from = (Equals), including “Overpass Graffiti,” “Tides” and “The Joker & the Queen” — the first time he ever performed the latter for a live, in-person audience. In addition, Ed mingled with fans and took selfies, noting, “This was the first time getting to meet and interact with fans in a while.”
The event took place on Sunday, after Ed performed on Saturday Night Live.
It’s hard to believe that Gwen Stefani wouldn’t know that fellow The Voice coach Ariana Grande was in the audience for the final show of her Just a Girl Las Vegas residency this past weekend, but evidently, it was a surprise.
Gwen wrapped the 57-show residency on Saturday night, and on Sunday, she posted videos and pics to her Instagram Story, including footage Ariana shared of Gwen singing “Don’t Speak” onstage.
“Brilliant…congratulations on completing this incredible run, love you so much,” Ariana captioned the video.
Gwen also posted an additional clip from Ariana, showing Gwen and her husband, Blake Shelton, singing their duet “Happy Anywhere” onstage during the final show.
“That’s my grandpa @blakeshelton I’m so f***in proud, I love this song and you both,” Ariana captioned the video. Gwen wrote, “ummmm @arianagrande, u came to my show? Yay love u thank u.”
Gwen also posted a photo of flowers she received from none other than Ava Max, who wrote in the card, “Congratulations on an incredible final show. You are my idol (like #1) and I love you to pieces. Thank you for continuing to inspire me daily, and for the art you’ve put into the world.”
According to E!, fellow The Voice coach John Legend also attended Gwen’s final residency show, along with his wife, Chrissy Teigen.
On Instagram Sunday, Gwen wrote, “sometimes it’s just best to keep it simple and short so all i have to say is THANKYOU to everyone who made this an incredible chapter of my life.”
Gwen’s residency was supposed to wrap up in May of 2020, but the final performances were put on hold due to the pandemic.
The two men accused of killing Run-DMC co-founding member Jam Master Jay will not face the death penalty if convicted.
ABC News has confirmed that federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for Karl Jordan and Ronald Washington, who have been charged with drug and weapons-related crimes that resulted in the death of Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay.
Prosecutors notified the judge of their decision in a letter on Monday. “Please be advised that United States Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has authorized and directed the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York not to seek the death penalty against defendants Karl Jordan, Jr. and Ronald Washington,” the letter reads.
Jam Master Jay was shot and killed at his recording studio in Queens on October 30, 2002. Prosecutors believe Washington and Jordan murdered Mizell after they were allegedly cut out of a drug deal. The two were charged with murder last year.
In March, Jordan, who was accused of firing the shot that killed Jay, was additionally charged with a count of conspiracy to distribute illicit drugs and use of firearms in connection with a drug-trafficking crime.
The new charges add the possibility of five extra years in prison.
Travis Scott will issue full refunds for attendees who bought tickets to his Astroworld Festival in Houston, TX, where eight people died in a crowd surge on Friday, sources confirm to ABC News.
The rapper will also not perform at this weekend’s Day N Vegas Festival, where he was previously scheduled as a headliner.
The eight Astroworld victims have now all been identified and range in age from 14 to 27. Hundreds of other concertgoers were injured when the crowd OF 50,000 began to rush the stage at NRG Park in Houston during Scott’s set. A second Astroworld show scheduled for Saturday was cancelled.
In statements on social media following the incident, Scott said he was “absolutely devastated” by what happened and is “working closely with everybody to get to the bottom of this.”
Two concertgoers have already filed lawsuits in the festival’s aftermath as of early Monday.
Ex-UB40 member Terence Wilson, better known as Astro, died Saturday. He was 64.
The vocalist passed away following “a very short illness,” according to a tweet posted on his and founding UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell‘s joint Twitter account on Saturday.
“We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken to have to tell you that our beloved Astro has today passed away after a very short illness,” the statement reads. “The world will never be the same without him.”
Astro joined UB40 in 1979, a year after Grammy-nominated band’s formation, and remained with the group until 2013. Aside from contributing spoken-word vocals to the band’s work, he also played percussion and trumpet with the group.
After leaving the band, Astro teamed up with Campbell and longtime UB40 keyboardist Mickey Virtue, both of whom exited the group in 2008, to formUB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro in 2014.
As part of UB40, Astro was featured on all of the group’s major hits, including their chart-topping covers of Neil Diamond‘s “Red Red Wine” and Elvis Presley‘s “I Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and their top-10 renditions of Al Green‘s “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” and The Temptations‘ “The Way You Do the Things You Do.”
Astro’s former band also saluted his life in a tweet on Saturday, writing, “We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness. Our sincere condolences to his family.”
Wilson’s family is asking for privacy during this time. No additional information regarding Astro’s health has been made available.
Roddy Rich is stepping up to help those affected by the tragedy that occurred at Travis Scott‘s Astroworld Festival on Friday that left eight attendees dead and hundreds of others injured.
In an Instagram Story on Saturday, the “Late At Night” rapper announced, “Please have the families of those who we lost yesterday reach out. I’ll be donating my net compensation to the families of this incident #Pray4Houston.”
Scott also issued a statement on Saturday offering his full support to authorities and pledged his commitment to “working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.”
As more information regarding the devastating events of Astroworld come out, so have the lawsuits.
Kherkher Garcia, LLP filed a lawsuit and announced in a Facebook post on Sunday, “We represent a concertgoer who was trampled by an uncontrolled crowd and seriously hurt.” According to court documents obtained by ABC News, they are representing Manuel Souza.
Renowed civil rights Attorney Ben Crump, who is already representing concertgoer Noah Gutierrez, is expected to be taking on more clients in the Astroworld aftermath.
Crump said in a statement Sunday night, “We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them.”
He added, “We will be pursuing justice for all our clients who were harmed in this tragic and preventable event.”
Roddy Ricch is donating his net compensation from Astroworld Fest to the families of those who passed away pic.twitter.com/3TlJdvdyMR
NEWS ALERT: @AttorneyCrump has issued a statement & is representing victims in the aftermath of the Travis Scott Astroworld concert, including 21-year-old Noah Gutierrez who described a scene of chaos and desperation. pic.twitter.com/Tfo5EA4mVL
If Elle King can take home the CMA for Musical Event of the Year for “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” with Miranda Lambert on Wednesday night, she’ll have a matching set.
Back in 2016, the “Ex’s & Oh’s” hitmaker took home the trophy for her chart-topping duet with Dierks Bentley, “Different for Girls,” and it was the beginning of an eye-opening experience for the rocker.
“I had had a really hard, mildly traumatic experience at the Grammys,” she recalls. “And I’d been nominated for two Grammys, and someone stepped on the back of my gown, and it ripped all the way up to my belly button. And we had to beg somebody to stitch me up right before they’re about to announce who won the award.”
Fast-forward to her subsequent appearance on the CMA Awards with Dierks, which left her a little bit dumbfounded — in a good way.
“I’m backstage at the CMAs,” she remembers, “and everyone has their dressing room doors open, and Luke Bryan is like, ‘Hey Elle, you want a drink?’ and putting his arm around me.”
“And everyone was genuinely kind and inviting and warm,” Elle continues, “and I was like, ‘Well, I think this is pretty fun.'”
“The rowdier I was,” she adds, “the more people like, amped it up. They know how to get down. And that’s when I was like, ‘Well, country’s more rock ‘n’ roll than rock ‘n’ roll.'”
To say Elle’s a favorite in the Musical Event category is an understatement. She was also nominated last year for “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” which Miranda cut with her tour mates.
Tune in to see if Elle wins, as her backstage buddy Luke hosts the 55th CMA Awards Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Sting recently turned 70, but unlike fellow rock star Elton John, he has no plans to retire any time soon…or ever, actually.
Speaking to USA Today, Sting says asking him to imagine never touring again would be like “asking a fish what it’s going to be like without water.” He adds, “I can’t imagine life without working onstage. I love it.”
In fact, Sting’s busier than ever. On November 19, he’ll release a new album The Bridge, which he says he recorded “as a way to save his mental health” during lockdown. He also launched his first-ever Las Vegas residency, My Songs, which he jokes is “better” than Elton’s residency, The Red Piano.
On top of that, Sting did a comic turn as a murder suspect in the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
“I’ve worked with both Steve Martin and Martin Short many times over the years and they knew I could say lines at least,” Sting says of getting the part. “I’d never worked with Selena, and she was fabulous. It was fun.”
Sting’s Las Vegas show, at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, runs through November 13, and will then return in June for more dates. Sting also has a European tour kicking off in March.
Here’s a literally metal way to celebrate Metallica hitting the big 4-0.
The “Enter Sandman” legends are selling a very limited edition silver ring in honor of the band’s 40th anniversary. Only 40 will be made, with each one hand-numbered, and engraved with the last names of current ‘Tallica members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, as well as ex-bassist Jason Newsted and the late Cliff Burton.
The rings cost $399.99, and will go on sale Monday, November 8, at 9 a.m. PT via the Metallica web store. They will only be available to those belonging to Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club.
If you miss out on one, a run of standard, unnumbered rings will go on sale in December for $249.99.
Metallica’s 40th anniversary celebration will continue with a pair of special hometown San Francisco concerts, taking place December 17 and 19.
Fifty years ago today, November 8, Led Zeppelin released its classic fourth studio album, an untitled collection commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV.
The massively successful album is packed with some of the band’s best-known songs, including one of the great all-time rock anthems, “Stairway to Heaven,” and cemented Led Zeppelin’s reputation as the world’s biggest hard rock band.
Led Zeppelin IV missed topping the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at #2, but the album has gone on to sell over 23 million copies in the U.S., making it among the five best-selling studio albums ever in the States.
Besides “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin IV features “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Going to California” and more.
“Black Dog” reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, Led Zeppelin’s second highest-charting single in the U.S. after “Whole Lotta Love,” which peaked at #4 in 1970.
Two guest artists are featured on Led Zeppelin IV. Former Fairport Convention singer Sandy Denny duets with Robert Plant on “The Battle of Evermore,” and original Rolling Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart plays piano on “Rock and Roll.” Denny was the only guest vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin song.
Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, who famously saluted Led Zeppelin at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors by performing “Stairway to Heaven” with late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham‘s son, Jason, tell ABC Audio that Led Zeppelin IV made a major impact on them.
Ann credits the album with being “probably one of the biggest turning points of my musical life,” while Nancy says that Led Zeppelin “painted…culture-altering landscapes” on the record.
Meanwhile, a video series profiling the making of Led Zeppelin IV has been posted on the band’s YouTube channel.
Here’s the album’s full track list:
“Black Dog”
“Rock and Roll”
“The Battle of Evermore”
“Stairway to Heaven”
“Misty Mountain Hop”
“Four Sticks”
“Going to California”
“When the Levee Breaks”
