“Till next year fam!”: Thomas Rhett reflects on end of Bring the Bar to You Tour

“Till next year fam!”: Thomas Rhett reflects on end of Bring the Bar to You Tour
“Till next year fam!”: Thomas Rhett reflects on end of Bring the Bar to You Tour
ABC/Connie Chornuk

Thomas Rhett is ready for his next adventure. 

Over the weekend, he wrapped up his headlining Bring the Bar to You Tour, which kept him and opening acts Parker McCollum and Conner Smith traveling around the country for five months.

After the final show in Dayton, OH, Thomas took to Instagram to reflect on the experience and shared a gallery of photos. 

“It has been such an amazing summer/ fall out with this crew! @parkermccollum and @connersmithmusic when y’all are headlining stadiums one day, don’t forget to bring the Ole man (me) along! Haha love y’all!” the “Beer Can’t Fix” singer writes. The post featured photos of Parker and Conner pranking Thomas onstage by wearing giant beer bottle costumes, as well as images of Thomas fist-bumping fans in the audience and signing a fan’s cowboy hat on the confetti-filled stage.

“To my band and crew, you all are top notch professionals. Y’all are also my family. Thank y’all for everything! To all the fans that came out. Wow is all I got. Every single night y’all brought so much energy and joy to these buildings,” Thomas continues. “Till next year fam!” 

“Love you brother,” Conner writes in the comment section with a heart emoji. 

The tour was named after a lyric in Thomas’ song “Bring the Bar,” which is featured on his latest album, Where We Started. 

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Family of George Floyd considering lawsuit against Ye after fentanyl comments

Family of George Floyd considering lawsuit against Ye after fentanyl comments
Family of George Floyd considering lawsuit against Ye after fentanyl comments
Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Kanye West‘s latest comments may cause him legal trouble. 

Attorney Lee Merritt, who represents the family of George Floyd, says they are considering a lawsuit against West for comments he made about the cause of Floyd’s death. 

“I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out,” Ye said in a clip of a recently taped episode of the Drink Champs podcast. “One of the things that his two roommates said was they want a tall guy like me, and the day that he died, he said a prayer for eight minutes. They hit him with the fentanyl.” 

Ye added, “If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”

The rapper’s comments sparked outrage on the internet and prompted Merritt to release a statement on behalf of the Floyd family. 

“While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death,” Merritt wrote on Twitter. “Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”

During the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes, a medical expert testified that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen to his brain

“Mr. Floyd died from a low level of oxygen. And this caused damage to his brain that we see, and it also caused a [Pulseless Electrical Activity] arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop,” Dr. Martin Tobin explained.

The full Kanye West x Drink Champs interview is not currently available on YouTube; there is a short teaser clip featuring host N.O.R.E and his response to Ye’s comments. 

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“Grateful” Matt Skiba congratulates Blink-182 on new single

“Grateful” Matt Skiba congratulates Blink-182 on new single
“Grateful” Matt Skiba congratulates Blink-182 on new single
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Matt Skiba is “grateful” for his time in Blink-182.

Last week, it was announced that the “All the Small Things” outfit had reunited with founding member Tom DeLonge, meaning Skiba, who replaced DeLonge in 2015 and played on Blink’s last two albums, would no longer be in the band.

The new era of Blink officially began last Friday with the premiere of the new single “Edging,” marking the trio’s first release with DeLonge in over 10 years. Following the single’s debut, Skiba shared an Instagram post congratulating his former bandmates.

“I’m sure there’s a joke in here about releases and happy endings I’m missing,” Skiba wrote. “But I am truly grateful for my time with Blink and I am truly happy you guys are a band and a family again.”

“Thanks to the band and all the Blink fans for having me,” he added. “You were delicious!”

Skiba’s comments follow DeLonge’s post of a message he sent Skiba thanking him for “all that you have done to keep the band alive and thriving in my absence.”

With DeLonge back, Blink-182 is set to embark on a worldwide tour in 2023 and release a new album.

Skiba, meanwhile, continues to front Alkaline Trio, who will play the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas this weekend.

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Lizzo responds to fatshaming critics in lighthearted TikTok skit

Lizzo responds to fatshaming critics in lighthearted TikTok skit
Lizzo responds to fatshaming critics in lighthearted TikTok skit
ABC

Lizzo is unbothered that people are ignoring her music in favor of criticizing her body, so she decided to parody it in a humorous TikTok sketch.

The singer used audio from her recent Vanity Fair interview where she was strapped to a lie detector and acted out the moment she was confronted about her astrological sign. But, instead of debating whether or not she’s actually a Taurus, she changed the dialogue to discuss her weight.

Using captions, Lizzo plays the part of the interviewer and asks, “You’re a musician…And fat… Did you know that no matter how many hits you make people will only talk about your body?”

She responds with “I didn’t know that” — the same answer she provided during the lie detector test.

Lizzo, again playing the interviewer, then asks, “Do you think you’d be successful if you were thin?”

Using the same answer she gave during the interview, Lizzo lip-syncs, “Is this, like, hypothetical?”

She then urged her fans in the caption to stream her single “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready).” She didn’t share any other insight about what may have prompted this video. 

Earlier this month, Kanye West talked about Lizzo’s weight during an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show. “When Lizzo loses 10 pounds and announces it, the bots on Instagram — they attack her losing weight, because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal when it’s actually unhealthy,” he previously said.

During a Toronto show last week, Lizzo seemingly referenced the interview when discussing how people in America are talking about her for no reason. “I’m minding my fat Black beautiful business,” she had said.

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Wendy Dio’s been “inundated with requests” for Dio back patch following ‘Stranger Things’

Wendy Dio’s been “inundated with requests” for Dio back patch following ‘Stranger Things’
Wendy Dio’s been “inundated with requests” for Dio back patch following ‘Stranger Things’
Courtesy of Netflix

In addition to making resurgent hits out of Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill” and Metallica‘s “Master of Puppets,” the latest season of Stranger Things also sparked renewed interest in Dio when beloved character Eddie Munson wore a denim jacket featuring one of the “Holy Diver” band’s back patches.

Wendy Dio, the widow of the late Ronnie James Dio, tells ABC Audio that the Stranger Things-driven Dio revival has been “really great.”

“It’s keeping Ronnie’s music and his memory alive, and now to the younger set,” Wendy says. “With Stranger Things, there’s so many people that didn’t know about Dio that want to now wear the patch.”

Wendy, who provided the patch for Stranger Things to use, shares she’s been “inundated with requests” from people hoping to buy their own since the season premiered.

“I really wish Ronnie could be here to know that these younger generation kids are now listening to his music, as well,” she says.

Along with the spot in Stranger Things, Dio’s song “Rainbow in the Dark” is featured in Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder film. In choosing when to allow different projects to license her husband’s music, Wendy says she’s “very protective of Ronnie’s legacy.”

“I only want to put [his music] in things that I think is something Ronnie would want to do,” she says.

You can, of course, also hear Ronnie’s music in the new documentary Dio: Dreamers Never Die, which premiered in theaters in September.

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Jhené Aiko & Big Sean reveal sex of their baby, host baby shower

Jhené Aiko & Big Sean reveal sex of their baby, host baby shower
Jhené Aiko & Big Sean reveal sex of their baby, host baby shower
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

Jhené Aiko and Big Sean are expecting a bundle of joy soon, and they just revealed a baby boy is on the way. 

The rapper and singer announced the news onstage in LA Thursday during a special performance of their 2017 collaboration “Memories.” As seen in a Twitter video later shared by The Neighborhood Talk, Big Sean rubs the stomach of a very pregnant Aiko before they request that the audience “make some noise for our baby boy!”

The viral video comes just a few days before Aiko post a series of photos and videos on Instagram of a shower celebration alongside family and friends. 

“so thankful for all of our beautiful friends and family who came out to shower our baby with love,” the 34-year-old mom-to-be said. “what a perfect day it was!”

Aiko’s unborn baby boy marks the first for Big Sean, the second for the singer. She shares 13-year-old Namiko Browner with O’Ryan Browner, the brother of former B2K member, Omarion.

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Report: Kevin Porter Jr. agrees to four-year extension with Rockets

Report: Kevin Porter Jr. agrees to four-year extension with Rockets
Report: Kevin Porter Jr. agrees to four-year extension with Rockets
PhotoAlto/Sandro Di Carlo Darsa/Getty Images

(HOUSTON) — Shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr. has reportedly agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Houston Rockets.

The 26-year-old’s agent told ESPN on Monday that the multi-year extension is worth $82.5 million.

The deal comes hours before the 6 p.m. ET deadline on Monday that affects players who were drafted in 2019. It also comes one day before the 2022-23 NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday.

Porter and the Rockets will kick off their season against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

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John Legend will miss Blake Shelton’s presence on ‘The Voice’: “He’s a friend of mine”

John Legend will miss Blake Shelton’s presence on ‘The Voice’: “He’s a friend of mine”
John Legend will miss Blake Shelton’s presence on ‘The Voice’: “He’s a friend of mine”
Tyler Golden/NBC

The coaches on The Voice are known for ribbing each other on camera, so when Blake Shelton announced that he’s leaving the show after season 23, fans might’ve expected his fellow coaches to get their light-hearted digs in. The 22nd season of The Voice is currently underway.

But John Legend had sweeter words to share: Speaking to ET Online, the pop superstar applauded Blake’s lengthy tenure at The VoiceAfter he finishes next season, Blake will have been on the show for 23 consecutive seasons — the longest stint of any coach.

“You can’t do something forever. We’re gonna miss him, though. He’s been the heart and the anchor and the soul of the show for a long time,” John says. “And he’s a friend of mine, and I really enjoy working with him. We’re all gonna miss him.”

The current season of The Voice marks the last time the two men will serve as coaches, as John is sitting out the upcoming 23rd season. “But I’ll be back on The Voice — just not this coming season,” the singer adds.

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Journey announces 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2023 with Toto

Journey announces 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2023 with Toto
Journey announces 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2023 with Toto
AEG Presents

Journey guitarist Neal Schon recently revealed that the band would be returning to the road next year for a new tour with their 2022 opening act Toto. Now, the group has announced official plans for the trek, which will celebrate Journey’s 50th anniversary.

The outing, dubbed the 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2023, will feature 38 North American dates, running from a February 4 concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania through an April 25 show in Palm Springs, California.

The trek will include the four previously announced makeup concerts that Journey postponed earlier this year, which are scheduled for March 1 in Washington, D.C.; March 4 in Hartford, Connecticut; March 9 in Quebec City; and March 12 in Toronto.

Tickets for the newly announced shows will go on sale to the general public this Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m. local time at JourneyMusic.com. Citi card members will have access to presale tickets starting Tuesday, October 18 at 10 a.m. local time; visit CitiEntertainment.com for more info. A limited number of VIP packages will also be available.

“We are all thankful and overwhelmed by the success of our Journey Freedom Tour 2022 this year,” says Schon. “We are looking forward to hitting the road again with our very good friends Toto! Come join us for a special evening full of fun and Rockin’ good memories.”

Adds Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, “Excited to perform for our fans as we tour next year with Toto. The combined hits of both bands represent a couple of decades of excellence that have become a soundtrack for people’s lives.”

Meanwhile, Journey recently debuted a lyric video for “Beautiful as You Are,” a song from their recently released Freedom album. Check it out on the band’s YouTube channel.

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“That’s unfortunate”: Flying bottle hits Harry Styles in the groin during concert

“That’s unfortunate”: Flying bottle hits Harry Styles in the groin during concert
“That’s unfortunate”: Flying bottle hits Harry Styles in the groin during concert
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Harry Styles shook off an “unfortunate” injury during his concert in Chicago. A fan threw a bottle toward the stage, and it hit him square in the groin.

Fan-captured videos of the event are circulating on social media. One video, taken from fan account @glambygab, starts a few seconds before the bottle made contact.  

Harry is seen chatting with the crowd before the stray bottle flies from the pit area and pelts him between the legs. Harry immediately stops talking, lets out a pained “oh” and winces all at once. He then stays doubled over for nearly 10 seconds before he speaks to the crowd again, starting with a frank, “Well. That’s unfortunate.” 

Harry then comically begins kicking his legs one at a time and declares, “Okay. Shake it off.” After a few bounces, he goes back in business and jokingly restarts the concert by talking in a high-pitched voice.

Harry just wrapped his residency at Chicago’s United Center. He is next heading to Inglewood, California for a multi-date residency at the Kia Forum, set to start on October 23.

Harry isn’t the only artist who has to deal with rowdy fans throwing objects onstage. During Lady Gaga‘s Chromatica Ball tour, her team had to issue a warning to fans about the danger of throwing objects onstage.

Gaga was hit by a teddy bear while belting out “Hold My Hand” at a show in Toronto. Her Twitter fan page posted the video and warned fans, “Please DO NOT throw items on stage at The Chromatica Ball. This not only is dangerous to Gaga, but items may also catch on fire in the jets as well and cause damage.”

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