Pop stars dead

With the Rolling Stones , U2 , Taylor Swift and One Direction on the road during an economic recovery, it’s hard to imagine the concert business having anything other than a blockbuster summer. First-half North American ticket sales were up 5.8 percent compared to 2014, according to Pollstar; top promoter Live Nation’s sales, through July, increased 7 percent; and AEG Live, the second-biggest promoter, posted box-office gains of 26 percent. Plus, Lollapalooza drew 300,000 fans, the Stones grossed $80 million from just 10 shows, Swift has sold 2 million tickets so far, the Grateful Dead set an attendance record by drawing more than 70,000 fans to Chicago’s Soldier Field and even Ed Sheeran is selling out stadiums internationally. “I can’t think of a time in recent history that business has been any better,” says Jay Marciano, AEG Live’s chairman. Related Summer 2015's 30 Hottest Tours Related Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': Much Better Than … [Read more...] about Summer Concert Boom Marks Industry Turnaround

“Who the hell is Bruce Springsteen?” I thought. Dashing out the stage door of a late-night Broadway show to beat the blundering crowds back in 2019, violin case in hand, I stepped onto the uptown C train for a swift escape out of midtown Manhattan. As I scrolled mindlessly through email, a message caught my attention: My colleague was requesting musicians to record with Bruce Springsteen — later to be disclosed as a live album recording of Western Stars . Not recognizing the all-American legend and turned off by the Jersey shoot location, I asked my spouse if I should waste my time with this gig. Shocked, my husband immediately went into a diatribe on the greatness of “The Boss.” I was shaken at the almost-missed opportunity. I’d been a musician for decades, graduated Juilliard in 2013, and studied works like Paganini’s technically demanding 24 Caprices and Bach Chaconne. But I’d really never heard of Springsteen. Related Stories Metallica on What They Have in Common … [Read more...] about Juilliard Must Modernize, or It Will Disappear

What’s the point of a label compilation? Ideally, it’s a showcase that communicates depth and shines a light on the lesser-known artists on a roster by placing them on the same stage as the label’s stars. Control the Streets Vol. 2 , the new compilation from Atlanta trap incubator Quality Control Music, features DAYYTONA FOX, YRN Murk, Migo Domingo, and the rest of QC’s dozen-odd prospects, but makes the listener wade to the second half of the 36-song compilation to hear any of them. Vol. 2 ultimately sags under the weight of its excessive length and uninspired performances from Migos and Lil Yachty, the QC lynchpins who carried the weight of the label’s first, much stronger Control the Streets installment in 2017. Related Reviews Meghan Markle's Suicidal Thoughts While Pregnant Shed Light on Silent Public Health Crisis 'Spoken Dialogue': Yola and PJ Morton Related Reviews R.E.M.'s 15 Greatest Music Videos Chasteness, Soda Pop, and … [Read more...] about Quality Control Music’s ‘Control the Streets Vol. 2’ Could’ve Used a Little More Quality Control