Month: September 2022

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Pop Daypop

The Weeknd announces rescheduled Los Angeles concert, adds second date

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The Weeknd has announced a second Los Angeles concert date to take place on Sunday, November 27th, as part of his After Hours Til Dawn tour. The newly added date will be the last chance for fans to see this tour in North America.

The Weeknd has also announced the rescheduled date for his Saturday, September 3rd Los Angeles show, which was postponed after three songs when he lost his voice. The new show will now take place Thanksgiving weekend on Saturday, November 26th at SoFi Stadium. Current ticketholders of the September 3rd show will have their tickets transferred automatically to the November 26th date. If unable to attend, fans can request a refund until Thursday, October 27th.

Tickets go on sale for the November 27th date starting Monday, October 3rd at 10 am PST via Ticketmaster.

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Pop Daypop

Maroon 5 to launch 2023 Las Vegas residency

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Maroon 5 will launch a new headlining residency at Park MGM in Las Vegas. The band announced the residency will take place at Dolby Live at Park MGM, beginning March 24, 2023. The band — which consists of members Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, James Valentine, Matt Flynn and PJ Morton — wrapped up the North American leg of their world tour last month, and still have dates scheduled in Asia this fall.

Following the announcement, Maroon 5 shared a logo that reads “M5LV” and “The Residency” on Instagram: “M5LV • THE RESIDENCY  We’re headed back to Vegas!  Tickets on sale Monday Oct 3 at 10AM PT. 🚀💫 ‘  They also shared a list of the show dates; sixteen shows are planned from March until August 2023, with tickets going on sale beginning on Oct. 3 at: www.ticketmaster.com/Maroon5Vegas.

Earlier this month, Levine, 43, came under scrutiny after a series of cheating accusations when Instagram model Sumner Stroh claimed in a now-viral TikTok that she had a year-long affair with Levine. In response, Levine issued a statement on social media: “A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air. I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.”

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Go Country 105

Nashville notes: It's all “Water Under the Bridge” for Sam Hunt, plus a new 'Yellowstone' trailer

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Sam Hunt is swinging by the set of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon next week for a performance of “Water Under the Bridge.” Tune in to watch on Monday.

The new trailer for season 5 of Yellowstone is available to watch now. Lainey Wilson is a cast member on this season of the hit TV show.

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Go Country 105

expand Parker McCollum will headline a special, Houston-themed opening day for RodeoHouston 2023

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Parker McCollum is returning to RodeoHouston for 2023, where he'll headline the first day of the extensive, star-packed festival proceedings.

It's not the first time Parker's headlined the rodeo, but next year's performance will be a little bit different, as plans were unveiled this week for an opening day packed full of special events celebrating all things Texas.

That includes a performance from a local band on the Stars Over Texas stage, plus an early bird giveaway of custom-made Howdy bobbleheads for the first 10,000 people to show up to the festival.

Of course, it'll all close out with Parker's performance. He's the perfect performer to celebrate the hometown theme: He hails from Conroe, Texas, just 40 miles north of Houston. The singer also proved to be a crowd favorite when performed at a previous RodeoHouston to a packed crowd of 73,243 fans.

Parker's headlining set will kick off RodeoHouston 2023 on February 28. Tickets go on sale to the public on October 6.

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Go Country 105

Maren Morris explains why she speaks up to support trans youth: “Country music is for everyone”

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Maren Morris has long been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and in recent weeks, her support for trans youth has been particularly visible.

The singer made headlines following a fiery back-and-forth with Brittany Aldean, wife of superstar Jason Aldean, after Brittany posted an Instagram reel that thanked her parents for not “changing my gender” when she went through “my tomboy phase.”

Maren, along with singer Cassadee Pope, flagged the comments as transphobic, and things continued to get heated, culminating in Brittany’s appearance on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight. Show host Tucker Carlson described Maren as a “Lunatic country music person,” which she promptly made into a T-shirt, ultimately raising $500,000 for GLAAD and the Trans Lifeline.

Now, Maren is back with a second T-shirt design. This time, it's a purple tee for #SpiritDay, an October 20 initiative to raise money for GLAAD's push against youth bullying, that reads “You Have a Seat at This Table.” That could be a reference to a lyric in “Crowded Table,” a song released by Maren's band, The Highwomen.

“At its core, country music is for everyone,” Maren explains in a new interview with GLAAD. “It's not just for one type of person. It's everyone's stories. It's storytelling. So yeah, I definitely feel like that became apparent over the last few weeks.”

One-hundred percent of the proceeds of Maren's new shirt benefit GLAAD's work supporting LGBTQ youth. Additionally, she's partnering with Fandiem and Bandsintown for a sweepstakes supporting GLAAD; the winner will win a flyaway plus tickets to a stop on her Humble Quest tour and more. To learn more and donate to win, visit Fandiem.

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Go Country 105

Alan Jackson to receive the 2022 CMT Artist of a Lifetime award

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Alan Jackson is this year's recipient of the CMT Artist of a Lifetime award.

He will be honored as part of the CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, set to take place next month. The award recognizes his long history with CMT and country music in general; his decades-spanning career has seen him release almost 60 music videos to date.

“I believe I've made more videos than just about anybody, and I know how important they have been in bringing my songs to life for the fans, so thank you CMT for all the years and for this sweet honor,” the singer says in a statement. “I'm very proud.”

Alan was previously named a “CMT Giant” in 2008, and he also won the first-ever Impact Award at the CMT Music Awards in 2014. Over the years, his music videos have also won trophies both at the ACM Awards and at the CMA Awards.

The CMT Artists of the Year ceremony will also celebrate Kane Brown, Walker Hayes, Luke Combs, Carly Pearce and Cody Johnson. The event will broadcast live from Nashville on October 14 starting at 9 p.m. ET.

 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood + lots more stars are auctioning off their original song lyrics for charity

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Want to own a handwritten copy of lyrics to songs by Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Walker Hayes, Kelsea Ballerini or another one of your favorite country stars? Now's your chance.

Today's biggest stars and country music legends are coming together to contribute handwritten copies of their song lyrics to a charitable cause. Julien's Auctions announced its third annual online charity auction event, Handwritten Song Lyrics Benefitting Music Health Alliance, this week.

Highlighted songs include Kelsea's “Peter Pan,” Walker's “Fancy Like” and Florida Georgia Line's “Meant to Be.” Also on offer are handwritten lyrics to Peter Frampton's “Do You Feel Like I Do,” ZZ Top's “Sharp Dressed Man,” Martina McBride's “Concrete Angel” and more.

There's also a copy of Kenny Rogers' “Twenty Years Ago,” written by songwriter Wood Newton and signed by all four co-writers in honor of the late singer's memory.

The auction will open on October 1 and will start closing in real time on October 24. Proceeds benefit the Music Health Alliance, which advocates for music industry members’ access to health care and financial support through medical procedures.

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News Daypop

Millions without power in Florida after Hurricane Ian makes landfall, causing life-threatening storm surges, catastrophic flooding and devastating winds

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Hurricane Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday morning after leaving a path of destruction across Florida with life-threatening storm surges, trapping people in flooded homes and knocking out power to 2 million people.

Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa around 3 p.m. Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds; the storm is believed to be one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded making landfall in Florida. The massive storm also brought torrential rainfall, and a catastrophic storm surge that left entire coastal communities under feet of water. Ian was the first Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Rita in 2005.

Officials warned, however, that the powerful storm was not over. Early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center reported that Ian had maximum sustained winds of near 65 mph with higher gusts as it moved slowly through central Florida on its way to the western Atlantic.  By 5 a.m., Ian was around 55 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral and moving northeast at 9 mph, the hurricane center said. Florida’s Atlantic coast, from northeast of Orlando into Georgia, could see a 6-foot storm surge. The storm is moving toward the northeast near 8 m.p.h., with a turn toward the north-northeast – and a move off the coast of Florida – expected later today. It’s expected to pick up speed during the day on Friday and into the evening as it approaches the coast of South Carolina.

Life-threatening storm surges and hurricane conditions were possible on Thursday and Friday along the coasts of northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, where Ian was expected to move inland. The governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia all preemptively declared states of emergency.

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News Daypop

Justice Department seizes 10 million fake fentanyl-laced pills

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The Justice Department’s Drug Enforcement Agency announced that between May 23 and Sept. 8, federal agents seized about 10.2 million fentanyl-laced pills and 82 pounds of fentanyl power in more than 100 investigations over the past five months, across all 50 states. The DOJ said those responsible for trafficking it into the U.S. are the Mexican cartels, particularly the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). 35 cases were linked directly to one or both of the primary Mexican cartels responsible for the majority of fentanyl in the United States.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a news release:  “Across the country, fentanyl is devastating families and communities, and we know that violent, criminal drug cartels bear responsibility for this crisis  The Justice Department, including the extraordinary professionals of the DEA, is working to disrupt and dismantle the operations of these cartels, remove deadly fentanyl from our communities, and save American lives.”

The operation resulted in 390 cases, including 51 cases linked to overdose poisonings. Garland said: “The amount of fentanyl taken off the streets during this surge is equivalent to more than 36 million lethal doses removed from the illegal drug supply.” Garland also said 338 weapons, including rifles, shotguns, pistols, and hand grenades, were also seized.

The DOJ said fentanyl is a deadly threat to Americans because it is 50 times more potent than heroin, adding that 107,622 deaths were due to drug poisoning or overdose with 66% of those deaths attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.  Drug traffickers have starting selling fentanyl in a variety of bright colors, shapes and sizes. “Rainbow” fentanyl was first reported to DEA in February 2022 and it has now been seized in 21 states.

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Go Country 105

Duets and “4-foot-tall beers”: Parker McCollum shares why he's having a blast on tour with Thomas Rhett

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Thomas Rhett's Bring the Bar to You Tour is in full swing, but in order to perform one of his recent big hits — “Beer Can't Fix” — he needs someone to fill in for original duet partner Jon Pardi.

That's where opening act Parker McCollum comes in. The rising star says he's been jumping onstage with TR to perform that song live during the tour.

“I go out and sing Pardi's verse,” he explains. “[It's a] really, really fun, cool moment in the show. We just kinda cut loose and the crowd loves it. And obviously, that song was such a big hit for them, so I just get to go out there and take all the credit for Jon.”

Not that he's not grateful: “Shout out to Pardi for letting me have that moment every night,” Parker adds with a laugh.

Of course, it wouldn't be the Bring the Bar to You Tour without an actual bar, and there's a special moment onstage every night when the crew wheels out a bar fully stocked with tall boys.

“One night there were huge tall boys. They were, like, 4-foot-tall beers,” Parker remembers. “I usually just crack one of those open, and I think I usually leave it onstage when I go to sing. So, sorry about that, boys! Party foul.”

The Bring the Bar to You Tour will continue in the U.S. through mid-October. TR recently announced a Canadian leg of the trek for early 2023.

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