Sparks concert review: Music vets deliver hit parade of no-frills pop

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “What is that?” Neil Young asked toward the end of his solo-tour-opening show Friday night at the Ford amphitheater in the Hollywood hills, referring to a strange, seemingly distant but quite audible sound that occasionally punctuated his songs or commentary. “Are you hearing that all night?” This was not an audio hallucination; the fairly intimate crowd of 1,200 was privy to it, too, and some had been looking up earlier to see if it might be a mighty wind causing a whoosh in the scenically placed palm trees over the stage. It was not. “It’s One Direction!” someone in the audience finally shouted — not quite getting it right, but on point in alluding to the source of the noise, intermittent crowd roars from a Louis Tomlinson concert at the Hollywood Bowl, just on the other side of the 101. “How do you like my new band?” Young finally quipped, before getting back to business, resigning himself to the stray sound effects.

Jamie T brought out The Maccabees‘ former guitarist Hugo White during his huge show at London’s Finsbury Park last night (June 30).White came out to perform ‘Sticks ‘N’ Stones’ with the singer, as he previously did at last year’s Glastonbury. White produced Jamie’s T recent album ‘The Theory of Whatever’, which came out last year.Jamie T dedicated the song to his long-time friend Joe Bispham, describing the night as a “family affair”.Earlier in the night, he described the show, performed to a crowd of 45,000 people, as “the biggest moment of my life”.He also thanked his band, who had been with him for “many years” and got the crowd to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to his drummer Alex.Saw Jamie T play Finsbury Park last night I went straight back to feeling like a teenager stealing cigarettes and drinking two litres of strongbow pic.twitter.com/ZUvD16seO0— Parker (@panoparker) July 1, 2023IDLES and Jamie T @ Finsbury Park, unreal.

Hurry! @legendsinconcertlv is running at the @orleanscasino in Las Vegas only until July 8th!! Starring @TheQueenOfVegas as Joan Rivers, @VegasLadyGaGa as Lady GaGa, @KarenAsDolly as Dolly Parton, @JazminAsWhitney as Whitney Houston and @AnnikasTributeToCher as Cher!

Ryan Seacrest was named his successor.A clip of the “Wheel of Fortune” host, 76, clapping along to the soft rock group at the Blue Note jazz club in Honolulu was obtained by TMZ. Sajak donned a bright blue and purple button-down as he sat in the front row with his daughter, Maggie, who is a social correspondent for “Wheel.”The ’80s band played for a small, but exuberant crowd, though Sajak was spotted looking a little bored by the end of the night.

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy winner Lynn Whitfield (The Josephine Baker Story) is set for a key recurring role on the upcoming sixth season of Showtime’s The Chi, from 20th Television.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Sony Pictures Television has announced a new division focusing on music development, headed by Palash Ahmed, who worked as a music producer before joining the company in 2017. The move is intended to leverage the company’s ties to Sony Music Group and the larger music industry. In this role, Ahmed will be collaborating on music-related projects across SPT’s production groups (U.S. scripted, international production, nonfiction and kids divisions).  SPT Chairman Ravi Ahuja made the announcement in an internal note to staff, obtained by Variety. 

EXCLUSIVE: After it emerged that over 300 actors had written to SAG-AFTRA leadership that they are “prepared to strike” if the guild doesn’t “get all the way there” during talks with the studios, the number of actors signing the letter has more than tripled overnight.

Darrell Issa Guest Columnist Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet represents California’s 48th Congressional District. Later today on the Nashville, TN campus of Belmont University, I’ll convene a field hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. The hearing won’t just take place in Music City, USA but five years after Congress achieved that rarest of things: A consensus solution that recognized the rights of musical artists and created a way they could be compensated fairly by publishers. It may be hard for some to believe, but at the time we crafted this legislation, the music industry and other content owners were being crushed by widespread piracy and an inability to monetize the value of musical creativity.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large MANILA — Anyone who lived in Hawai’i in the early 1990s remember the story of the pint-sized Elvis impersonator in a Waikiki revue named Bruno Hernandez. He wasn’t even in grade school yet when he appeared on the cover of the local Midweek newspaper (which we all still remember), dressed fully as the King, and it soon landed him a role as an Elvis impersonator in the film “Honeymoon in Vegas.” In Hawaii, local fame is a big deal. And before he even hit 10, Bruno was a bit of local celebrity. The cute kid already had the kind of style, performing chops and showmanship that some spend a lifetime trying to attain. Definitely not the kind of thing that even crossed my mind when I was in elementary school, living in the Philippines. Coincidentally, that’s where I was on Sunday night, watching Bruno Mars perform so effortlessly on stage at the Philippine Arena (in Santa Maria, Bulacan, about 30 km north of Manila, and about 75 km away where I once lived).

Icona Pop have announced their first album in 10 years, ‘Club Romantech’ – pre-save it here.The Swedish pop duo will release the new album on September 1 via Ultra Records, which follows their 2013 debut LP ‘This Is… Icona Pop’.Joel Corry, Sofi Tukker, Yaeger, Ultra Nate and Galantis are among collaborators on the new tracks, while a new single called ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ is out now.“’Where Do We Go From Here’ was one of the first songs we wrote in the fall of 2020 after realizing we couldn’t move back to LA because of the pandemic,” Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt shared in a press statement.“Back in Stockholm, we formed a small crew to start making music and thought ‘what the fuck are we going to do now?’ Eclectic, fun, hard, pop, deep, mainstream, catchy, weird, late at night, early in the morning – always with a tear in the corner of the eye and a smile on our face. That’s how ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ feels and that’s how CLUB ROMANTECH feels too.”Check out the new song, along with the album artwork and tracklisting below.“As Icona Pop, we can release a pop tune or a super hard dance song, and that’s who we are,” Hjelt shared of the new record.

Kim Richards. The former star celebrated the nuptials of her daughter, Whitney Davis, and Luke White in Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday. The Western-themed wedding featured guests in cowboy hats and stunning mountain backdrops.

Warner Music Korea, the South Korean subsidiary of Warner Music, has issued a statement against claims by their agency Attrakt that it had attempted to illegally poach members of girl group FIFTY FIFTY.On June 26, K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY’s label Attrakt released a statement claiming that Warner Music Korea had been colluding with an unnamed third party to illegally poach members of the group.“We have evidence of [an outside party] clearly attempting to poach FIFTY FIFTY members illegally, and we request Warner Music Korea to provide an adequate explanation and answers,” said Attrakt earlier today, per Korea JoongAng Daily.This also comes several days after Attrakt stated last Friday (June 23) that it would take legal action against other agencies that had been spreading negative rumours about it “in an attempt to lure the members of FIFTY FIFTY” into breaking their exclusive contracts.Warner Music Korea has since denied the claims made by Attrakt in a new statement, per XSportsNews. “First, as FIFTY FIFTY’s overseas distributor, Warner Music Korea has has been working [with FIFTY FIFTY] since April 1, 2023,” it said, as translated by Soompi.“We have done our best to make the dazzling achievements of FIFTY FIFTY and their agency shine even brighter by mobilising Warner Music Group’s abilities and network, so we are very sorry that such unfortunate suspicions were raised,” added Warner Music Korea.The agency went on to say: “Attrakt’s claims are groundless, and we are regretful that they have sent [us] a certification of contents.

William Earl In 2023, Avenged Sevenfold is playing like it has something to prove. The metal quintet — singer M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman — released its first new record in seven years on June 2, “Life Is but a Dream…” This project, the group’s eighth full-length, pushes proggier instincts to the surface, in a departure from the more straightforward work that brought them millions of listeners and a reputation for an energy-forward live act. When Avenged Sevenfold hit Madison Square Garden on Friday night, it was only the band’s fifth show since 2018. But the rockers rose to the occasion, not only delivering a bruising set of mosh-pit classics, but bringing riskier new material into clearer focus with a live spark.

Seven fans were rushed to the hospital after a severe hailstorm impacted a Louis Tomlinson concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Wednesday night.  The golf ball-sized hail poured down on the concertgoers attending the One Direction alum’s performance.  The West Metro Fire confirmed on their social media that, "7 people transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A total of 80 to 90 people treated on scene. Injuries include cuts and broken bones."  The fierce storm forced Tomlinson to shut down the concert, as the English singer-songwriter noted he was "devastated" about the chaotic events that unfolded.  "Sending all my love out to everyone that was affected by the extreme weather at Red Rocks last night," Tomlinson wrote in a statement on Twitter.

Louis Tomlinson is speaking out after a natural disaster delayed a stop on his Faith in the Future World Tour.

The summer solstice weather took an ominous turn Wednesday as a powerful storm during Louis Tomlinson’s show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver sent concertgoers scattering. West Metro Fire Rescue said “tennis ball-size” hail injured more than 90 people and sent seven to local hospitals. The injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to broken bones.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Nearly 100 people were injured by “golf-ball sized” hail before a Louis Tomlinson concert scheduled for Wednesday night at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver, the West Metro Fire Department told CNN. At least seven people were transported to area hospitals with “non-life-threatening” injuries, the fire department tweeted, with as many as 90 people treated at the venue for abrasions and broken bones. “I managed to hide where they were selling drinks and I used my backpack to protect myself and another girl,” one fan told CNN, saying she experienced minor injuries. The National Weather Service office in nearby Boulder issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the areas at around 9 p.m., noting the venue would be affected.

Fans waiting to see former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, who is set to become an Uncle again after his sister Phoebe announced she was expecting, were forced to take shelter after it began unexpectedly hailing just before his set. Louis was set to perform at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, USA - an outdoor venue that offers little to no rain cover for fans - but was forced to call the show off at the last minute.The singer, 31, took to his Twitter to express his disappointment: “Devastated about the show tonight, hope everyone’s ok, I’ll be back! Even though we didn’t play the show I felt all of your passion! Sending you all love!” Some fans who attended the show say the hail left them with “broken bones and bruises” as they rushed to evacuate.

Editor’s note: Deadline’s It Starts on the Page features 10 standout drama series scripts in 2023 Emmy contention. It showcases the critical role writer’s work plays in a show’s success. All materials (the script and writers intro) were submitted before the WGA strike began on May 2.

Mark Sutherland “It’s getting increasingly difficult to tell the real from the fake these days,” Peter Gabriel said with a smile as he strolled nonchalantly onto the stage at London’s O2 Arena. “It might surprise you to learn that you’re looking at an avatar. But unlike the wonderful ABBA show just down the road, my avatar is 20 years older, 20 pounds heavier and completely bald. Meanwhile, I’m ripped and lying on a beach…” For some musicians of a certain age, the past is not a foreign country: They’re happy to do things exactly the same way today as they did back then. Not Peter Gabriel. He has always maintained a primary interest in evolution — human, musical and technological — and at 73, that has not changed.