Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour continues with its surprises, including Taylor welcoming Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford onto the stage in Las Vegas over the weekend.
Taylor told fans on Friday night, “We don’t have guests at this show,” but evidently changed her mind during night two at Allegiant Stadium. She stunned fans when she brought Marcus out; they performed the fan-favorite evermore track “Cowboy Like Me” live for the first time.
Fans flooded social media with the magical moment, which showed Taylor sharing the story of the birth of evermore and how she asked Marcus to sing with her on the popular track, revealing herself to be a massive Mumford & Sons fan. She then welcomed the frontman onstage, saying he has “one of the most gorgeous voices in the world.”
While this was Taylor’s first time performing the song onstage, Marcus has made the track a staple at his concerts.
Elsewhere during Taylor’s weekend shows in Vegas, she performed Fearless‘ “White Horse” for the first time since 2018. She also delighted fans by singing Midnights‘ “Snow on the Beach” — but collaborator Lana Del Rey was not there to assist.
Taylor’s concerts are still clocking in at roughly three hours long, allowing her ample time to perform select tracks from all 10 of her studio albums.
She next heads to Arlington, Texas, for a three-night residency at AT&T Stadium beginning March 31. Considering night two takes place on April Fools’ Day, fans are curious to see what surprises or pranks Taylor might have up her sleeve.
Carly Pearce‘s single “What He Didn’t Do” hit number one on the country charts this week.
“WHAT HE DIDNT DO IS #1!!!! I can’t even put into words what this moment means,” Carly shared on Instagram. “When I wrote this song, I needed to be reminded of my worth & that I deserved better— and y’all have shown me that I DO matter.”
“Thank you country radio, my co writers @emilyshackelton & Ashley Gorley, fans & my entire team for this. This season of my life started so painful, and is ending so beautiful. What a way to end the 29 chapter,” she added.
“What He Didn’t Do” is the third and final single off Carly’s latest studio album, 29: Written In Stone. The 15-track project includes the earlier singles “Next Girl” and “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Ashley McBryde.
Most recently, the Kentucky native released her first live studio album, titled 29: Written In Stone (Live From Music City).
(LOS ANGELES) — Taylor Swift fans will get their day in court on Monday, months after the botched release of tour tickets prompted widespread outcry.
A federal court in Los Angeles will hear arguments in a case brought by fans who allege that Live Nation — and subsidiary company Ticketmaster — violated antitrust and consumer protection laws.
The fall release of tickets for Swift’s “New Era” tour, her first in five years, prompted government scrutiny of antitrust laws, including a Senate hearing in January at which Live Nation president and Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold apologized for the fiasco.
The lawsuit, filed in December, claims that the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally stamped out competition in live events ticketing, allowing the company to charge exorbitant prices for tickets.
In a court filing last month, Live Nation tried to end the court proceedings and force the dispute into private arbitration, claiming that ticket buyers had agreed on multiple occasions over the course of online shopping to resolve any claims through arbitration.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
“We are not going to just settle,” Julie Barfuss, a lead plaintiff, told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “We want to see some change.”
Fans of Swift are expected to hold a rally outside the courthouse on Monday.
Days after the tickets were released, in November, Swift spoke out about the difficulty faced by ticket purchasers.
“There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets and I’m trying to figure out how this situation can be improved going forward,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — Israel’s controversial judicial overhaul plan pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been delayed until the parliament’s next legislative session, according to the head of the far-right Jewish Power party.
“I agreed to remove the veto for the postponement of the legislation, in exchange for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment that the legislation will be brought to the Knesset for approval in the next session, if no agreements are reached during the recess,” Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a statement.
The Jewish Power party was critical in bringing Netanyahu back to power late last year.
Protesters had stormed Israel’s streets overnight, as thousands voiced their opposition to a controversial justice reform bill and the prime minister’s decision to fire the defense secretary who spoke out against it.
Netanyahu on Sunday unceremoniously dismissed Yoav Gallant a day after Gallant called for a halt to the planned overhaul of Israel’s judiciary that has fiercely divided the country. Military and business leaders have also spoken out against the plan.
Netanyahu’s office announced Gallant’s firing in a terse statement, saying “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided, this evening, to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.” The prime minister’s office did not provide further details.
Gallant, a former army general, is a senior member of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party. On Saturday, he called for a pause in the controversial legislation until after next month’s Independence Day holiday, citing the threat to Israel’s national security.
After a night of protests, including police water cannons shot at demonstrators, thousands gathered on Monday morning outside the Knesset, where Israel’s parliament meets. Many more assembled in central Tel Aviv, where a massive rally had been planned.
Ronen Bar, the head of Israeli’s intelligence operations, arrived at Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem just after midnight on Monday as protests continued outside.
Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international airport, halted all departures on Monday, as Histadrut, the country’s largest trade union, protested against the planned reforms. Arrivals will continue to land at the airport, although as many as 35,000 people were expected to have their travel disrupted.
Netanyahu crossed all the “red lines” on Sunday night, Histadrut’s leader, Arnon Bar-David, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday, according to a translation. He called for an “historic” strike to begin on Monday.
The strike action extended to hospitals, cafes and shopping centers, with many remaining closed on Monday morning. The country’s stock market was set to be closed on Tuesday.
Washington urged Israeli leaders to find a compromise, with National Security spokesperson Adrienne Watson saying in a statement that the White House was “deeply concerned by today’s developments out of Israel, which further underscore the urgent need for compromise.”
“As the president recently discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu, democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Watson said.
Protests have simmered in Israel for months, since the planned changes were rolled out in December. Under Netanyahu’s reforms, Knesset lawmakers would be able to override decisions made by the country’s supreme court, a change that’s seen by many as a move to consolidate power.
The prime minister and President Joe Biden discussed the changes on a March 19 phone call.
Biden at the time told Netanyahu that “democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,” the White House said.
Two prominent Israeli lawmakers came out against Netanyahu’s judicial reforms as protests continued in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Aryeh Deri, one of the founders of the Shas political party, called on Netanyahu to pause the judicial reforms early Monday morning, according to local media reports.
Miki Zohar, minister of Culture and Sports, said early Monday morning that while the “reform of the judicial system is necessary and essential … when the house is on fire, you don’t ask who is right,” according to a translation.
“If the prime minister decides to stop the legislation in order to prevent the rift created in the nation, we must support his position,” Zohar said.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti, Edward Szekeres, Ellie Kaufman, Nasser Atta, Bruno Nota and Jordana Miller contributed to this report.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The Nashville Fire Department is reporting multiple patients from an “active aggressor” at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday.
The Covenant School is a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade.
The fire department said it’s responding and described the school as “an active scene.”
Additional information was not immediately available.
Eric Clapton is returning to North America this fall. The guitar great has announced dates for a short tour, featuring special guest Jimmie Vaughan.
The five-city tour kicks off September 8 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and hits Toronto, St. Louis and Minneapolis before wrapping September 16 in Denver, Colorado. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31, at 10 a.m. local time.
These five dates will be the only shows Clapton will be doing in North America in 2023. More info can be found at ericclapton.com.
Next up for Clapton, he’s headlining a six-night stand at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, starting April 15, followed by two Jeff Beck tribute shows at Royal Albert Hall in London, May 22 and 23.
(JERUSALEM) — Tens of thousands of people are marching in the streets in Israel on Monday, the latest day in a series of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul.
Here’s what you need to know about the deepening political crisis:
Why are people protesting in Israel?
Stores, restaurants and the biggest airport in Israel were closing their doors on Monday amid an escalation in protests that have kept the nation’s attention for weeks. Tens of thousands — perhaps hundreds of thousands — of people filled the streets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and elsewhere. The country’s stock exchange is set to close on Tuesday as part of a strike.
The country’s biggest union, Histadrut, announced on Monday that it would begin a “historic” strike, with most of its 800,000 members stopping work in protest of Netanyahu’s reform plan.
Israelis are protesting against a judicial reform plan proposed by Netanyahu’s hardline nationalist government — a plan that some see as a consolidation of power, with parliament increasing its oversight of the court system.
Netanyahu on Monday called for protesters to “behave responsibly and not to act violently,” according to a translation of a statement he posted on Twitter.
“We are brotherly people,” he said.
Supporters of Netanyahu’s plan are also scheduled to counterprotest Monday night.
Netanyahu was meeting with Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security, and other politicians at the Knesset Monday afternoon but still has yet to make any public statements on the legislation.
What is the judicial overhaul in Israel?
After Netanyahu, a member of the conservative Likud Party, formed a right-wing coalition government in December 2022, he announced he would return to his role as Israel’s prime minister.
His government, which is said to be the most right-wing government in the country’s history, then announced it would introduce a measure countering what it saw as the growing influence of the judicial system.
The changes would allow lawmakers at the Knesset — Israel’s parliament — to override many decisions made by the country’s Supreme Court. It would also give ruling lawmakers more control over appointments to the high court. Opponents of the plan say it amounts to a power grab.
Some officials have said Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for charges including corruption and bribery, should bow out of the discussions over the reform, calling his participation a conflict of interest.
Netanyahu spoke on March 19 with President Joe Biden, who told him that “fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,” according to a readout of the call from the White House.
In his conversation with Biden, Netanyahu said “that Israel was, and will remain, a strong and vibrant democracy,” according to a statement from his office.
Why did Netanyahu fire the country’s defense minister?
The biggest spark in the continuing protests was the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday.
On Saturday, Gallant had spoken out against the judicial overhaul.
“The events taking place in Israeli society do not spare the Israel Defense Forces — from all sides, feelings of anger, pain and disappointment arise, with an intensity I have never encountered before,” Gallant said in a televised address on Saturday after the end of the Jewish Sabbath. “I see how the source of our strength is being eroded.”
Gallant said that the national crisis over the judicial overhaul has created a “clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state.”
Netanyahu’s office did not provide further details of the firing, but it signaled he doesn’t appear to be backing down from the judicial plan yet.
What happens next?
Several top lawmakers and Netanyahu allies called on Sunday and Monday for Netanyahu to postpone or suspend his plan. But the prime minister during months of public debate has not signaled his willingness to do so.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Israel is in the midst of a little thing on judicial reform,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in February.
He said at the time that Israel is “a democray and will remain a democracy, with majority rule and proper safeguards of civil liberties.” Much of the conversation about the proposal as been “frankly reckless and dangerous,” he said at the time.
Parts of the overhaul could be enacted as early as this week.
The prime minister was meeting late Sunday with top officials at his home in Jerusalem, with thousands of protestors nearby. Observers said he may be considering whether to pause the changes.
Tyler, the Creator is releasing a new set of songs that didn’t make it onto his Grammy-nominated album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. The project is titled CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale and is slated to drop on March 31. Fans have the option to preorder.
“CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST WAS THE FIRST ALBUM I MADE WITH ALOT OF SONGS THAT DIDNT MAKE THE FINAL CUT,” Tyler tweeted Monday. “SOME OF THOSE SONGS I REALLY LOVE, AND KNEW THEY WOULD NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY, SO IVE DECIDED TO PUT A FEW OF THEM OUT.”
The lead track, “Dogtooth,” is out now, along with its accompanying video.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST was released in June 2021, with appearances from Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Wayne, Brent Faiyez, Lil Uzi Vert, DJ Drama, Pharrell Williams, NBA Youngboy and more. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming Tyler’s second #1, and won Best Rap Album at the 2022 Grammys.
Drake upset another set of Lollapalooza fans when he canceled his headlining set at Brazil’s iteration of the festival. NME reports the rapper pulled out just hours before his performance Sunday because of issues with production.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Drake is without members of his sound and production team, essential to the realization of the Lollapalooza show in São Paulo,” translation of a statement posted on the official Lollapalooza account says. “Drake was excited to perform for his fans in Brazil. Unfortunately, this is beyond his control. Sorry.”
Organizers are now issuing refunds to the concertgoers.
Drake’s canceled set comes days after the backlash he received for preventing a livestream of his nearly 40-minute performance at Lollapalooza Argentina, which some fans complained was shorter than a typical headlining set.
He also reportedly performed a short set at Lollapalooza Chile, according to NME.
