Lainey Wilson steps into the spotlight Thursday night for a headlining performance on ABC’s annual three-hour CMA Fest special.
But Lainey has a history with the festival, formerly known as Fan Fair, that dates back to her teens.
“I was probably 14 or 15 when I saw Sugarland in a big blow-up ball and they rolled across the entire floor of the stadium, and I thought that was the coolest thing I’d ever seen,” she recalls. “It was insane. And I remember Martina McBride singing ‘Broken Wing.'”
While the “Somewhere Over Laredo” superstar stops short of naming a favorite, she definitely has a major contender.
“I remember every single year watching Keith Urban, like, pop up in all these random spots in the stadium,” she says. “To me he’s always been one of the best performers.”
“I’ve been coming every year since I was 14 years old, so it’s hard just to choose one,” she adds.
CMA Fest premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the following day on Hulu.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu.
Lady Gaga performs onstage during The MAYHEM Ball Tour at The Kia Forum on July 28, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
BTS’ current tour landed them in the #1 spot among the North American top touring artists, grossing more than $104 million so far this year. Lady Gaga’s The MAYHEM Ball ranked #2, with a gross exceeding $87 million. Other artists in the top 10 include Bad Bunny, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, New Edition, Luke Combs, the Eagles and Cardi B.
When it comes to the worldwide chart, Bad Bunny is #1, raking in more than $225 million. Lady Gaga is #2, followed by BTS at #3. Ed Sheeran ranks at #5 with a gross of more than $105 million. He just started the North American leg of his LOOP tour a few days ago, so those numbers aren’t reflected in the totals.
While some high-profile artists canceled tours and individual shows this year, Pollstar reports the industry is doing better than ever. Gross revenue for the top 100 touring artists is more than 12% higher than last year: a total of $3.16 billion. In case you’re wondering, the average ticket price in North America is $122.15, which is actually down 2.4% from last year.
If you didn’t get a chance to see The MAYHEM Ball, Gaga filmed a reimagined version called MAYHEM Requiem, now streaming on Apple Music.
BTS’ tour, in support of their album ARIRANG, is currently making its way through Europe and is set to return to North America starting Aug. 1. Ed Sheeran’s LOOP stadium tour, featuring opening act Myles Smith and a rotating lineup of other performers, wraps up its North American leg in Tampa, Florida, in November.
Cardi B performs during her Little Miss Drama tour at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2026, in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Cardi B has made the top-10 lists for touring artists both domestically and internationally.
She ranks #7 on Pollstar‘s worldwide list for her Little Miss Drama tour, which, according to the chart, grossed $72.1 million. On Pollstar‘s Top 10 North American Tours list, her tour ranks #4, with 36 shows reported.
New Edition rounds out the North American top 10, coming in at #10.
“It’s gratifying to see Pollstar’s record-setting mid-year data finally putting to rest this year’s so-called ‘blue dot fever,’ which erroneously claimed the live business was collapsing,” Pollstar editor-in-chief Andy Gensler said in a statement. “Our data definitively shows otherwise.”
Cardi’s Little Miss Drama tour ran from Feb. 11 to April 18, marking her first-ever headlining arena tour. It featured performances of hits from her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, and its follow-up, Am I the Drama?, as well as appearances from various artists, including Fetty Wap, Missy Elliott, Vybz Kartel, Tyla, Kehlani and GloRilla.
She is set to take the stage Sunday at the BET Awards 2026.
‘Music Video Mischief’ book cover. (Trouser Press)
Nigel Dick, the director of videos including Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” is releasing a memoir.
The book is called Music Video Mischief and is due out Sept. 15.
“Music Video Mischief goes behind the scenes for a wild ride through the creative process, the egos, the politics, and the logistics involved in making videos for A-listers,” a press release reads. “Dick shares entertaining tales of things going right and wrong, stars who were wonderful to work with and stars who weren’t, natural disasters, amazing triumphs, and mad dashes around the world — all with self-deprecating wit and the enthusiasm of a lifetime music fan.”
Dick also directed videos including Nickelback’s “Photograph,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Back to Earth,” Britney Spears’ “Oops!…I Did It Again” and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
“If you thought Nigel could direct a video, you should see him write a book!” Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger says.
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band perform at The Kia Forum on April 07, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles and AC/DC are among the artists landing in the top 10 on Pollstar’s 2026 midyear touring charts.
While Bad Bunny leads the worldwide touring artists midyear chart with a gross of over $225 million, AC/DC is the highest-charting rock act. It lands at #4 thanks to the European leg of their Power Up tour, which has brought in close to $120.3 million so far this year.
Eagles, thanks to their Sphere residency and a handful of U.S. shows, land at #8 on the worldwide chart, with over $69.7 million in gross sales. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band are at #10, bringing in over $58.4 million with The Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
Among the North American top touring artists, Eagles land at #5, while Springsteen lands at #7. K-pop act BTS tops the list with a gross of over $104 million.
And both AC/DC and Eagles have a chance to add to their 2026 haul. AC/DC brings their Power Up tour back to North America July 11 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with dates confirmed through Sept. 29 in Philadelphia; Eagles have more Sphere shows in September and November.
Springsteen wrapped his The Land of Hope and Dreams tour on May 30 in Philadelphia.
Zoey Deutch as Jill and Nick Robinson as Wes in ‘Voicemails for Isabelle.’ (Diyah Pera/Netflix)
Voicemails for Isabelle is calling, and Leah McKendrick wants you to answer.
McKendrick wrote and directed the new Netflix rom-com, which became the #1 film in the U.S. during its first weekend on the streaming service. She spoke to ABC Audio just ahead of the film’s release, where she said romantic comedies raised her.
“Longing has been a big theme in my life. Longing for my career, longing for love. And I think for a longing girl, a rom-com is her genre,” McKendrick said. “I believe that rom-coms are for everybody, but I think the girls really own that. And are unabashed about it.”
The rom-com follows a young chef named Jill (Zoey Deutch), who copes with the loss of her sister and best friend, Isabelle (Ciara Bravo), by leaving her voicemails describing her chaotic life.
McKendrick says the idea for this story came from her relationship with her own sister.
“My little sister is my first love and true love, and I feel like she’s the one that taught me what that even looks like,” McKendrick said. “When she was in college in New York and I was struggling for my dreams in LA, I would call her and leave these rambling voicemails.”
The voicemails featured McKendrick “crying about the job I didn’t get, the guy that I went on a bad date with or boy problems” — the list goes on and on.
“It’s really hard to curate a voicemail. I think it’s a stream of consciousness, especially if you’re talking to your sister,” McKendrick said. “I just thought, ‘I want a love story where a man falls in love with her for her heart and not for the way that she looks or the boxes that she checks or the chemistry that they have when they meet.’ It’s just really just him witnessing her.”
Jay-Z is seen before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Cote D’Ivoire and Ecuador at Philadelphia Stadium on June 14, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Jay-Z fans now have another opportunity to get library cards featuring his likeness. The Brooklyn Public Library has announced limited-edition library cards commemorating the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt.
Featuring the black-and-white artwork and following the release of the 2023 Book of Hov exhibit library cards, the new cards will be available beginning June 25 — the exact date the album was released 30 years ago. They will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
In addition, Marcy Library will feature a curated display of books that have had a positive influence on Hov, who was raised in Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses.
Pop-up experiences in Manhattan and Brooklyn are taking place June 25.
Roc Nation is also launching ’96 & Forever, a yearlong program celebrating Jay’s “body of work as a cultural archive,” according to a post on Roc Nation’s website.
As previously reported, the Reasonable Doubt festivities will also include an upcoming performance at Yankee Stadium and several vinyl releases, among other events.
Jay-Z was also recently celebrated at the Roots Picnic, where he debuted a new hairstyle. Beyoncé told the story behind the transformation in a video for her hair care line, Cécred.
“Everyone wants to know the details of JAY’s hair transformation,” she said. “Jay told me a few months ago he was planning on combing out his locs for the Philly show with The Roots. He wanted to do this in honor of his father. His name was Adnis Reeves, and his favorite sports team was from Philly.”
She also explained that the one reason he initially grew his locs was “to show Blue [Ivy Carter] that her hair was like his hair,” as the then 5-year-old “wasn’t feeling very confident about her hair.”
Blink-182 performs onstage at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 2023 in New York City. (Manny Carabel/Getty Images)
Blink-182 is heading overseas in 2027.
The “All the Small Things” trio has announced three European headlining shows for next year, taking place June 8 in Berlin, June 13 in Milan and June 15 in Paris.
Pierce the Veil will also be on the bill for the Milan and Paris shows. Billy Talen will open the Berlin date.
Presales begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. For all ticket info, visit Blink182.com.
Blink’s 2027 live schedule also includes sets at Europe’s Rock for People, Rock im Park and Rock am Ring festivals. They performed at the Innings Festival in Arizona in February, but their most recent full U.S. tour took place in 2025.
In other blink-182 happenings, the band recently released a deluxe version of their 2001 album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, in honor of its 25th anniversary. Their most recent record is 2023’s ONE MORE TIME…, which featured the return of original frontman Tom DeLonge.
It was 55 years ago Monday that Joni Mitchell released her iconic album Blue, and to celebrate, the album has gotten an audio upgrade.
Rhino High Fidelity has just released limited-edition audiophile editions of the album on reel-to-reel and vinyl.
The vinyl reissue, cut from the original master tapes to 180-gram vinyl, is limited to 5,000 numbered copies. It includes an album insert featuring a new Q&A with Mitchell. The reel-to-reel, which was duplicated in real time from the original flat analog master tape, is limited to only 350 copies.
Released June 22, 1971, Blue is considered by many to be one of the greatest pop and rock albums of all time. Written following Mitchell’s breakup with Graham Nash, and during a relationship with James Taylor, the album includes such iconic Mitchell tunes as “A Case of You” and “River.” It peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA.
