Roger Daltrey is setting the record straight about the events that led to The Who’s firing of drummer Zak Starkey.
Problems arose with Starkey during The Who’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March, with Daltrey appearing to call out Starkey’s playing during “The Song is Over.” In an interview with The Telegraph, Starkey suggested that Daltrey was actually the one who “got it wrong,” and Daltrey was not happy about that.
In a new interview with the U.K. publication The Times, Roger called Starkey’s comments “kind of a character assassination,” adding that it was “incredibly upsetting.”
Daltrey says he wasn’t “having a go” at Starkey onstage at Royal Albert Hall, but was simply telling the guy controlling his monitors that he was hearing too much sub-bass. He added that the audience had “a complete misunderstanding” of what was happening.
Starkey was fired by The Who in April, but then rehired by the band, only to be let go again in May.
As for why they decided to go with another drummer, Daltrey says, “We wanted to branch out and that’s all I want to say about it. But [Starkey’s reaction] was crippling to me.”
Daltrey and Pete Townshend are getting ready to kick off what they say is their final U.S. tour. While Daltrey says his voice is “still as good as ever,” he does have some concerns, noting, “I can’t tell you if it will still be there in October.”
He adds, “There’s a big part of me that’s going, I just hope I make it through.”
The Who’s The Song Is Over North American Tour begins Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at TheWho.com.
Earth, Wind & Fire made a surprise appearance at Lollapalooza, joining Sabrina Carpenter for her headlining set Sunday night.
“We can just let loose, right? We can just groove,” said Sabrina, who was wearing a sparkly pink jumpsuit with her name across the chest. She then added, “So I thought, why not bring out my friends from Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire!”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers then joined Sabrina onstage to perform their 1981 smash “Let’s Groove.” And of course, the appearance wouldn’t have been complete without a follow-up performance of the band’s iconic 1979 hit “September.”
Earth, Wind & Fire is the second Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group that Sabrina has welcomed onto the stage this summer: In June, when she performed at London’s Hyde Park, she brought out ’80s new wave icons Duran Duran to sing their hit “Hungry Like the Wolf.”
Earth, Wind & Fire are currently on a summer tour that hits Interlochen, Michigan, on Tuesday. A complete list of dates can be found at earthwindfire.com.
Cardi B pulled double duty at night one of WWE’s SummerSlam Saturday, serving as host and one of the night’s performers. She made her entrance walking down the ramp in a black feathered ensemble, before performing a new song for the crowd. “We’re coming to you live from the Tri-State!” she said. “We’re making history tonight because this is the first-ever two-day SummerSlam.”
Kodak Black has received yet another set of keys to a city for his charitable efforts. He was recently honored in North Miami at a ceremony highlighting students who’d graduated from North Miami’s annual youth internship program. “Thank you, North Miami, for honoring me with the Key to the City,” he posted on X. “I appreciate the acknowledgment and love.” The recognition arrives just weeks after Kodak Black received the key to the City of Pompano Beach.
Busta Rhymes was given his flowers Friday when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. LL Cool J was among the people who shared a tribute, praising Busta’s “awe-inspiring power, commitment to his craft, and commitment to excellence as an artist and performer.” Chuck D talked about his individuality, saying, “You can try to imitate Busta, but you can’t duplicate him.” Busta then took to the stage and talked about his journey, thanking all those who supported him over the years. “I feel complete today,” he said of the event, which also saw appearances from Chris Rock and Big DaddyKane. “As we completed this chapter and started giving birth to a new one. I’m no longer Daniel-San in this s***, I’m Mr. Miyagi now.”
A seven nation army couldn’t hold Jack White back from fulfilling a lifelong dream.
The White Stripes frontman reveals that he’s completed his long-held goal of seeing a baseball game in every MLB stadium. The last venue on his list was Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, which he finally visited on Friday while seeing the Detroit Tigers beat the hometown Phillies.
“It was a beautiful park,” White says in an Instagram post.
However, White wonders if his mission is technically unfinished, since he hasn’t seen the Tampa Bay Rays play in their temporary home stadium. The Rays’ usual stadium, Tropicana Field, was damaged by Hurricane Milton in 2024 and has been under construction while the team plays at the nearby George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“Now a question for the baseball public: is it necessary that we see a game in the temporary stadium that the Tampa Bay Rays are currently playing in?” White asks. “Have we completed the journey or not since the stadium is only temporary?”
White, of course, is a big baseball fan, despite what some memes might lead you to believe. He spent his 50th birthday in July at a Tigers game, where he was serenaded by friend and actor John C. Reilly with a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
The women behind Salt-N-Pepa, the history-making female hip-hop group, claim that Universal Music Group has removed some of their biggest hits from streaming platforms amid a legal battle.
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton said in a new interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts that their fans are not able to hear some of their music amid the lawsuit, in which the singers claim Universal Music Group is allegedly denying them the rights to the master recordings of their early music, including hits like “Push It.”
“It just keeps us from re-releasing our music — promoting it,” Denton told Roberts in the interview, which aired Monday on GMA.
Denton and James claim that Universal is allegedly violating federal copyright law by refusing to allow them to exercise their so-called “termination rights,” which allows artists to reclaim the copyright to their original recordings after a period of time, according to the U.S. Copyright Office.
“When you’re an artist, in the beginning, you sign a contract saying that the copyrights will revert back to you after 35 years,” James said. “And we’ve done all the things legally to get our copyrights back. But they’re just refusing, so we had to sue them.”
“It’s the law. That’s what it really boils down to. It’s the law,” Denton added.
The Grammy Award-winning duo filed the lawsuit against Universal Music Group in May in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Universal Music Group has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming in part that Salt-N-Pepa cannot exercise their “termination rights” because they were not the ones who signed the relevant contract. The company declined to comment to ABC News citing the active litigation.
Denton and James told Roberts that they are the artists, and they believe the copyright law is meant to “protect the artists.”
“We didn’t have that leverage. We didn’t have that knowledge. We didn’t have that control in the ’80s. And so, to be held to a contract from 1985, and 40 years later, it’s, like, ridiculous,” said James.
Denton said she believes Universal Music Group is allegedly holding onto their music because they know its “worth.”
“Obviously, it’s something. They wanna keep it. They wanna hold onto it. And they’re tryin’ to fight us,” she claimed. “So, obviously, they understand what’s the worth of that.”
The duo’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group comes as they are preparing for a high point in their career, receiving the Musical Influence Award at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this November.
Salt-N-Pepa will make history as the first hip-hop act to receive the coveted award.
“It’s an amazing feeling, because … it’s for your music, not just one hit,” Denton said of the honor. “It’s about your journey, your legacy, what you have done, you know, the influence that you had … 40 years and we’re still here.”
Amid both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honor and the ongoing lawsuit, the boundary-breaking artists told Roberts they want to be remembered for staying true to who they are.
“Authenticity, especially in art, I think, leads to longevity. And I feel like that’s a big part of why people took to Salt-N-Pepa, because we are authentic,” James said. “And I wanna inspire women, inspire and encourage women to be themselves, to go for it, you know? And to not be afraid to knock down barriers in the workplace, in the world, whatever you’re doing. Just be strong.”
Meeting your favorite singer can be overwhelming — especially with thousands of people watching you — so maybe it’s not surprising that a young fan passed out at Katy Perry‘s concert in Detroit Sunday after Katy invited her onstage.
Video posted by MLive, a Michigan news site, shows the young fan, McKenna, joining Katy onstage with a few other fans to play shakers during “The One that Got Away.” After hugging Katy, she follows the singer over to where the other fans are standing. As Katy hands her a shaker, McKenna collapses to the floor.
Katy immediately kneels next to McKenna as several other people surround the group to check her vital signs, and the crowd starts changing “McKenna! McKenna!”
According to Billboard, Katy then hugged the other fans and led them in a prayer, during which she said, “Dear God, we pray for McKenna, that she will come back fully and brighter and better than ever. Amen.” She added, “It’s so much. Sometimes you’re so brave and you can get on stage, and it’s overwhelming. I understand that feeling.”
MLive wrote in the comments of its video, “Later in the show, while singing ‘Roar,’ Perry told the crowd the young girl was doing great.” Billboard reports it also confirmed that McKenna was fine.
Katy’s Lifetimes tour continues Monday night in Toronto; it’s scheduled to wrap up in December in Dubai.
Rod Stewart paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne during a recent concert, and he got a little help from AI to do so.
NME reports that during his Aug. 1 concert in Alpharetta, Georgia, near Atlanta, Stewart projected images of Ozzy on screen during his performance of “Forever Young,” but the Black Sabbath frontman wasn’t alone in them.
Fan shot footage shows that the tribute included AI-generated images of Ozzy posing for selfies with several other dead celebrities, including Prince,Tina Turner, Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, George Michael, Michael Jackson and more. They are all set against a backdrop of clouds, suggesting they are all up in heaven together.
Ozzy Osbourne died July 22 at the age of 76.
After his death was announced, Rod paid tribute to Ozzy on social media, writing, “Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I’ll see you up there — later rather than sooner.”
The Kinks released their third single, “You Really Got Me,” in the U.K., where it became their first #1 hit and stayed on top for two weeks.
The tune was released in America that September and became a breakthrough hit for the band, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Guitarist Dave Davies created the distorted guitar sound in the tune by slicing up the speaker on his amp with a razor blade. The highly influential track has been described as proto-punk and early heavy metal.
The track hit the charts once again in 1978 after Van Halen covered it for their self-titled debut album and released it as their debut single. The Van Halen version peaked at #36 on the Hot 100.
Jessie J was hospitalized for an infection six weeks after undergoing surgery following her breast cancer diagnosis.
The singer updated fans on her Instagram Story Saturday, sharing a photo of an IV in her arm.
“How I spent the last 24 hours,” she wrote. “6 weeks post surgery and I was back in the same ward I was after my surgery. Not expected or planned. I had and still have symptoms that pointed towards a blood clot on the lung.”
“IT IS NOT A BLOOD CLOT THANK GOD,” she continued. “They ran a lot of tests, which ended up showing I have an infection (still trying to figure out what) and a little fluid on my lungs.”
“Finding it hard to breathe in, but I discharged myself last night (I hate being in hospital) and will continue the investigation as an outpatient,” she wrote.
In another post, Jessie wrote about her health journey, “I know many people who will have gone through this or similar may agree with me on this or not and that’s ok.”
“But I know for me, the true hard journey of this whole thing physically was the day I went into surgery. The recovery physically is far from quick or easy, and mentally it’s been the most challenging time for me,” she continued.
The singer, who shares 2-year-old son Sky with boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman, added, “Especially as a Mum with a toddler and being unable to be the mother I usually am. And having to change the plans for my career for this year has been frustrating after working so hard to get to this point and excited to do it all.”
She added, “But it’s life, I know that. And don’t get me wrong getting the all clear was and is incredible. But that result didn’t speed up or make the recovery from the surgery any easier physically.”
She went on to share that her journey was a reminder “to myself to slow tf down.”
Somehow, American Idol favorite Gabby Barrett just knew she had to write with HARDY.
Even though he’s one of the most respected writers in the business, with their different musical styles, it wasn’t exactly the obvious choice.
“I was talking on the phone with my team the one day,” she tells ABC Audio. “We were just talking about writing and like what’s coming up with that, and I just said to them, I said, ‘I would love to write with HARDY if we can make that happen.’ And I said, ‘It’s either gonna be awesome or it’s gonna be different,’ you know? And it was awesome.”
The “awesome” result is Gabby’s new single, “The Easy Part,” which she and HARDY co-wrote with ZachAmend and JonNite.
“The Easy Part” is the first taste of Gabby’s next cycle of music, her first since last year’s Chapter & Verse and her Christmas album, Carols and Candlelight.
