BLACKPINK announces and teases their highly anticipated world tour, Justin Bieber is back on tour following his health scare, Travis Scott is coming to Las Vegas, Ne-Yo’s wife accuses him of cheating and more
A week after The X Factor showed exactly how the show put together One Direction, the music competition series is sharing the original, extended cut of Harry Styles‘ audition as a solo artist.
Although it was Styles’ soulful, a capella rendition of Stevie Wonder‘s “Isn’t She Lovely” that made it to air back in 2010, he actually first brought a Train song to the stage — and now, that moment has been unearthed and uploaded to YouTube.
The then-16-year-old Styles sang the group’s 2009 earworm “Hey, Soul Sister” for the judges, but Simon Cowell wanted to hear his voice without the distraction of the track.
“I don’t know whether it’s the track that’s throwing you, but can I hear something just you, without any music?” Cowell asked. Styles then launched into the Wonder classic, which ultimately moved him on to the next round.
The previously unseen footage from The X Factor also includes some banter about Styles’ former weekend bakery job — where, he said, Viennese fancies and millionaire’s shortbread were the top picks — and how his “mum’s always” told him he was a good singer.
“I think I could do it, but I think with your help I could be a lot better than I am,” Styles said.
Watch the full audition below.
Kate Bush is still running on Australia’s singles chart, and no one can catch her.
The veteran English singer’s mid-80s classic “Running Up That Hill” (via Warner) reigns supreme over the ARIA Singles Chart for a seventh week, thanks to its appearance in season four of Stranger Things.
Further down the chart, Steve Lacy impacts the Top 5 with “Bad Habit” (RCA/Sony), up 9-5 for a new peak in its third week.
Meanwhile, Central Cee makes his first appearance in the top tier as “Doja” (ADA/Warner) bows at No. 8, for the highest new entry on the current frame.
Also new to the chart this week is Billie Eilish’s “Guitar Songs” release “TV,” part of a two-pack which dropped July 21 and also includes “The 30th.” “TV” is new at No. 23.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart for the week Aug. 1, 2022, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (Columbia/Sony) locks-up another week at No. 1.
Australian country start Amber Lawrence starts at No. 5 on the albums survey with Living For The Highlights (ABC/Orchard), her seventh studio album. It’s the followup to 2019’s Spark, which peaked at No. 13.
A smattering of new releases drop further down the list, including titles by Odesza (The Last Goodbye at No. 22 via Ninja Tune/Inertia), Joey Bada$$ (2000 at No. 41 via Columbia/Sony), Jack White (Entering Heaven Alive at No. 43 via Third Man Records/Orchard), and Alex the Astronaut (How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater at No. 47 via Warner).
Finally, a muddy edition of Splendour in the Grass was just ticket for Tyler, the Creator, who enjoys sales spikes after his headline performance at the three-day fest.
Igor (Columbia/Sony) rises 50-26 and Call Me If You Get Lost (Columbia/Sony) lifts 86-31.
Mark Vaughan lands at Live Nation, where he leads the promoter team for Australia and New Zealand as vice president – talent and artist development.
With effect from Monday (Aug. 1), Vaughan works alongside LN’s existing promoter team to continue to “best serve artists as they hit the road,” reads a statement welcoming the new recruit.
The Australian concerts veteran has spent much of his career in Europe, where he served as partner/promoter at Norway’s All Things Live, said to be the largest independent concert promoter in the Nordics.
At the Oslo-based live music specialist, he worked with such artists as Rammstein, Justin Bieber, Twenty-One Pilots, Kendrick Lamar, Green Day, Shawn Mendes, Lorde and others.
“For a long time I have been closely following the live market in Australia and New Zealand and admiring the work of Live Nation,” Vaughan comments. “The team are delivering a stellar roster and growing number of tours from entry-level club acts to stadium artists, and it’s super exciting to come back home and lead a talented, successful and dynamic promoter team.”
Live Nation Concerts’ Talent & Touring team produces hundreds of tours each year across Australia and New Zealand, and beyond, working the likes of Beyoncé, BTS, Crowded House, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Drake, U2, Jay-Z, Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Pink, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and more.
Bringing in a “world-class promoter” like Vaughan is a “great add to our Live Nation team as he brings in-depth knowledge of Australia, New Zealand and the global touring market,” notes Roger Field, president of Live Nation Asia Pacific, “especially as artists continue expanding their tours around the world. Mark has a proven track record of delivering hit tours for huge artists, and we look forward to him continuing that success at Live Nation and welcoming him home.”
Vaughan is the latest piece in the constantly-growing concerts machine that is LN’s Australasian affiliate.
In recent weeks, LN added Anita’s Theatre, in Thirroul, a northern seaside suburb of Wollongong, about 40 miles south of Sydney, to its venues portfolio, which already includes The Palais Theatre in Melbourne, the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, and the soon-to-open Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide. The historic theater becomes LN’s first regional venue in Australia.
Separately, LN announced the mid-July strategic acquisition of Bec Sutherland’s Jubilee Street, one of the region’s prominent comedy artist management companies. With that arrangement, Sutherlands steps down from her role as VP of comedy at Live Nation APAC, to focus as managing director of Jubilee Street, overseeing her 11-strong roster which includes Julia Morris, Urzila Carlson, Nazeem Hussain, Kate Langbroek and Melanie Bracewell.
Also, LN is partnering with Melbourne Royal on the 11-night live music program for 2022 Melbourne Royal Show – The Show After Dark. Running from Sept. 22 to Oct. 2, the program’s headliners include The Veronicas, Baker Boy, Bag Raiders and Sneaky Sound System.
Ne-Yo‘s wife, Crystal Renay, says she will not be staying with her husband after claiming he has been unfaithful to her for eight years.
Renay shared a personal update about her marriage with Ne-Yo on social media on Saturday (July 30), telling followers that saying she is “heartbroken and disgusted” over the situation would be an “understatement.”
“For the sake of our children, my family and I will work through our challenges behind closed doors,” Ne-Yo responded on Twitter Sunday afternoon (July 31), a day after Renay posted a lengthy note on Instagram. “Personal matters are not meant to be addressed and dissected in public forums. I simply ask that you please respect me and my family’s privacy at this time.”
On Saturday, Renay had written: “8 years of lies and deception. 8 years of unknowingly sharing my life and husband with numerous of women who sell their bodies to him unprotected … every last one of them! To say I’m heartbroken and disgusted is an understatement. To ask me to stay and accept it is absolutely insane. The mentality of a narcissist.”
“I will no longer lie to the public or pretend that this is something it isn’t,” she said of the allegations. “I choose me, I choose my happiness and health and my respect. I gained 3 beautiful children out of this but nothing else but wasted years and heartache. I ask that you all please stop sending me videos or information of him cheating because what he does is no longer my concern. I am not a victim. I’m choosing to stand tall with my head held high. If someone can’t love you the way you deserve then it’s up to you to love yourself. With no hate in my heart I wish him nothing but the best.”
Ne-Yo recently addressed prior marital problems he endured with Renay in an interview with Billboard. Earlier this month, while speaking about new album Self-Explanatory, he said, “It’s no secret that during the course of the pandemic” the pair were briefly considering divorce. But he said the couple, who wed in 2016 and renewed their vows in 2022, worked it out at the time.
“It took the pandemic for us to really sit and have those necessary, yet really uncomfortable conversations … Those situations for whatever reason always make for incredible song lyrics. A lot of those song lyrics are on this album,” the R&B singer had said of the experience with his wife.
The pair welcomed their third child together last year, in June 2021. Ne-Yo is also the father of two more children from a previous relationship.
See Crystal’s note and Ne-Yo’s response from this weekend below.
“For the sake of our children, my family and I will work through our challenges behind closed doors. Personal matters are not meant to be addressed and dissected in public forums. I simply ask that you please respect me and my family’s privacy at this time.”
— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) July 31, 2022
Beyoncé‘s seventh studio album, Renaissance, has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 29) on Billboard, choosing the superstar singer’s first solo studio release since 2016’s Lemonade as their favorite new music release of the past week.
Renaissance brought in nearly 57% of the vote, beating out new music by BLACKPINK (“Ready For Love” music video), Rosalía (“Despechá”), Hayley Kiyoko (Panorama), Maggie Rogers (Surrender), and $uicideboy$ (Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation).
Recorded over three years during the pandemic, Renaissance is “Act 1” of three. The 16-song project is crammed with features from Grace Jones, BEAM and Tems, along with production assists from husband Jay-Z, Drake, Skrillex, Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers and others.
The house-infused “Break My Soul,” released in late June, was the first single from Renaissance. The song hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated July 7, 2022, marking Beyoncé’s milestone 20th top 10 as a soloist.
Renaissance follows 2016’s Lemonade, Queen Bey’s landmark album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earning Beyoncé her sixth-chart topper. The set included guest appearances by Jack White, James Blake, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar.
Placing second on the past week’s tally with almost 15% of the vote was the music video for BLACKPINK’s newly released song “Ready For Love.” The K-pop quartet — Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa — first unveiled the track in their recent in-game concert for PUGB Mobile, titled “THE VIRTUAL,” which featured the members performing a medley of their hits through virtual versions of their human forms.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
The Project
Lava La Rue’s new EP, Hi-Fidelity, is out now via Marathon.
The Origin
Growing up, Lava La Rue was always playing in bands. “When I was 13, I wanted to be in an all-girl version of The Clash. Very West London, ska-punk inspired. The intersection of Caribbean culture and British punk.” But as they grew older, the costliness of rehearsal space drew the young creative to freestyling “because you just need a microphone.”
At college in London, La Rue met the group of artists who would soon change their life. “I think people assume we met at some really established music school but it wasn’t like that at all, it was a bit rundown. The music equipment was falling apart,” La Rue explains, but the lack of proper equipment didn’t stop the group of friends, who would soon call themselves NiNE8 Collective (including Biig Piig, Nayana Iz, Bone Slim, Mac Wetha, Nige and LorenzoRSV), from creating some of the most exciting music to come out of London.
But first, La Rue says, it was not that serious. The then-nameless NiNE8 was just a gang of newfound friends, hanging out in the smoking area in between classes, freestyling over borrowed beats blasted on a mini speaker. “We’d only have little pockets of time to do it at school so I’d be like, ‘F— it, after school we should go to mine and continue.’” From there, the at-home sessions attracted more friends, swelling until the troupe decided to rent proper venues.
Ever since, La Rue has been busy growing a grassroots career in music that allows them to flex their creative muscle as a rapper, singer, songwriter and even music video director. Recently, they were even tapped to direct Wet Leg’s vibrant, irreverent music video for “Ur Mom.” As evidenced by their wide-ranging projects, La Rue’s no-holds-barred career is a testament to what is possible for an indie artist who dares to dream big’s career today.
The Sound
When titling La Rue’s new EP, Hi-Fidelity, the idea was simple: describe the sound in words. With the title, La Rue makes their declaration that although they have been called “lo-fi rap” by critics and fans in the past, their new project is a polished, cleaner take on La Rue’s earliest roots, gigging with friends around West London. “I think I’m now circling back to the more live band feel for my music, like when I used to play guitar and stuff when I was younger,” they explain.
Today, with more resources for their creative projects than ever, La Rue says, “Now, if I make something sound lo-fi, it’s intentional.” They say their sound has evolved so thoroughly, in part because of access to instruments and recording equipment. “I always make do with whatever is there,” La Rue explains. “In the beginning that was just a really ghetto microphone and a sock to put on top of it.” Working around the limitations, though, is what pushed La Rue to freestyling and learning their own voice as a producer, a crucial part of developing the sonics now exemplified on Hi-Fidelity. “Now, when I’m working with other producers, I know what plug-in to ask for. What way to record something.”
On Hi-Fidelity, La Rue was inspired by early Beck songs, the Neptunes, Gorillaz, Turkish arabesque music and trying to emulate the strangest, most satisfying sounds through their own lens. “I was experimenting. There are some really minute little details that I put in that maybe people might not notice, but it’s really satisfying to me.”
Upon close listen, however, La Rue is correct: Hi-Fidelity’s brilliance is in its details.
The Breakthrough
For La Rue, deciding that they did not have to choose one specific path as a creative was key to building the varied career they wanted. “I feel like I’m never just one thing. I don’t know if it’s the Gemini in me or the non-binary in me, but I like the idea that I can do everything I want,” they explain. “Not to get too philosophical, but really all we are promised is this life. We should live as many experiences as we can. I don’t like the idea of saying, ‘I’m a musician, but maybe in an alternate universe, I would’ve tried directing.’ No, that’s bulls—. I can do both in this life. There is enough time.”
The Future
With a London headline show coming up in November, La Rue says, “Like my music, my live show is very different now.” They hope to build a world orbiting around Hi-Fidelity as “a center point to paint the picture of a more cohesive world, including live shows and merchandise. It all tells a story together that I want to make bigger and more polished and more fun than ever, but still very me.”
The Piece of Advice Every New Indie Artist Needs to Hear
“If you want to find the right collaborators and your musical soulmates, then you need to work on being very comfortable with being on your own s— first. Like knowing what you like specifically and knowing what your bag is. That’s when I feel like those people are drawn towards you. While it’s good for new artists to want to build a network, I think when you’re on your own wave and your sonics are clear, then the right people to work with will gravitate towards you. If you’re meant to work with someone, it will happen when you have the self-confidence of your own vibe first.”
The Most Surprising Thing You’ve Learned about the Music Industry So Far
“It’s pretty crazy how much musical genres and the concept of categorizing music can gatekeep a lot of artists from thriving. For example, in the U.K., we have the MOBO Awards which is the Black British music awards. There is no alternative or dance category for music, which sucks because it’s basically saying that they don’t recognize Black people who make music in that category. I think sometimes putting an artist into a category doesn’t allow them to thrive.”
The Artist You Believe Deserves More Attention
“There’s a band called English Teacher, a post-punk band from the U.K., that’s really f—ing cool. I’ve also been obsessed with this super young artist called Psykhi. He embodies this combination of alternative and punk worlds joining with the hip-hop and rap world. He almost flows like Playboi Carti, but he produces really grungy s—. He’s pretty underground, but he’s sick. I think he’s going to blow [up]. The U.K. right now has some incredible alternative artists and bands. Both of those artists are P.O.C. fronted and it’s nice to see more people of color taking up space in alternative music.”
The Thing That Needs to Change in the Music Industry
“Whenever it’s International Women’s Day or Pride Month or whatever, companies will show their support to artists for that time period, but they never look at the infrastructure of their company. Though they may highlight these minority groups visually, are they actually hiring those people? I don’t think there will be any change or progress if we just put people’s faces on social media instead of fixing this from the inside.”
Five years after their last album and almost exactly three years after their last live set, ODESZA returned to their hometown of Seattle Friday night (July 29) and showed the roughly 17,000 people in attendance at the city’s Climate Pledge Arena that — despite the name of their latest album — there is truly no last goodbye.
The duo, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, released their new LP, The Last Goodbye, on July 22, kicking off their tour a week later with a sold-out, three-night run at Climate Pledge that continues Saturday (July 30) and Sunday (July 31.) The tour will then extend across North America this summer with an amphitheater run. But with Friday night marking ODESZA’s return to live music, anticipation was extremely high, and Billboard was there to witness it.
At 5:30 p.m. on the hot and sunny Friday, fans adorned in ODESZA merch gathered around the edges of Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first zero-carbon arena, in wild anticipation of ODESZA’s impending return. Venue doors opened at 6 p.m., with fans flowing in from all sides of the arena. Many immediately got in lines at the various merch booths and some ran to get food and drinks, while groups of friends reunited in the aisles. All together, the inside of the arena turned into an ODESZA-themed convention, with LED screens showing various animation renders done by the the duo’s Foreign Family Collective team setting the mood.
People began to find their seating around the arena, with the floor a little less than half-full at 7:20 p.m., when Foreign Family Collective signee Ford began his set with “Craving” from his 2018 album (The) Evening. It was an apt welcome to an amazing night of music and spectacle, with the artist warmly greeted the crowd, saying this was his first time performing in an arena and that he was excited he was to be opening for ODESZA for the next three nights. He played a remix of “Flashing Lights,” which got some heads bobbing, and then “Living, Breathing,” one of his faster-paced songs. He ended his set with “Bedford Falls,” a track laden with calm drum beats and lo-fi inspiration.
Sylvan Esso was next on the night’s lineup and began playing at exactly 8:11 p.m. Amelia Meath, the duo’s singer, carried the performance with her crisp, powerful vocals that sounded extremely pleasant blasting out of the arena speakers. Nick Sanborn, the duo’s producer, laid the foundation of dancey beats and modular sounding notes to cohesively bind with Meath’s vocal prowess. As the end of their set neared, fans began to return from food and drink runs, last-minute bathroom adventures and merch hauls to get to their spots for the main event.
Nearing their scheduled start time of 9:25 p.m., all seating areas of the arena quickly filled up, and the floor that was still relatively empty at break was now packed to the brim — but from the center toward the back of this area, there was still plenty of room to move and dance. (This writer was given a heads-up about being in the center for the first three songs, a pro tip that should be taken into consideration for other concertgoers.) Then all the lights went dark, with the crowd shouting ecstatically and fans who were sitting down standing up to join in the cheering.
Seconds after hitting 9:25 p.m., the stage slowly came to life. The ODESZA icosahedron logo illuminated as “This Version of You” began playing. Fans were shouting and cheering, and chills were felt as Julianna Barwick’s meditative introduction from the song welcomed all into a positive mindset and deeper thought. Her voice on the arena speakers was calming, yet strong and confident. As the song built, you could feel the electricity in the air as people emotionally prepared themselves for an hour-and-a-half-long musical adventure.
The duo then played a new song, “Behind the Sun” — which sounds like classic ODESZA — with explosive pyrotechnics pairing beautifully with the song’s drop. The sample of Iranian artist Simin Gharem’s song “Sib” combined beautifully with the percussive and bass-heavy work, showing off their expertise in finding samples that work so well in their music. It wouldn’t be an ODESZA show without hearing coveted VIP versions of original tracks, which included “All We Need,” “Something About You” (mashed up with “Love Letter”), “Memories That You Call” and a surprising D’n’B VIP mix of “Falls” that worked incredibly well.
While the duo’s previous tours have nearly mythic status among fans, ODESZA’s visuals Friday night absolutely floored the crowd and certainly compared to, and in many instances topped, what they’ve done in previous shows, exploring different themes in vivid ways. Their visuals also took a darker turn, with frames of an android-looking figure clothed in gold running against a strong current and navigating through an apocalyptic wasteland, while “Keep Moving” from ODESZA side project Bronson played. There was also a demonic wolf trying to tear itself out of the screen, and during “Loyal,” a barrage of arrows hit the screen followed by a skeletal knight menacingly walking through a field.
There were a few crowd shout-outs as well, with Mills saying, “It’s so good to be back. We’re so glad to be playing in our hometown again.” The classic “Lemme see you one more time!” from Mills also got the audience shouting, dancing and forgetting struggles and tough times, even if temporarily. The fans were an important part of why the spectacle felt so big and all-encompassing. Everywhere you looked, there were smiles, people were in awe at the visuals and production and strangers acted like friends. (Special shout-out to the Foreign Family Collective Discord community members, as they offered helpful tips and awesome recommendations for folks visiting Seattle for the shows, and welcomed many new fans of ODESZA this weekend.)
The guys brought out singer Noami Wild for “Higher Ground” and “Better Now” (which originally featured MARO) and Charlie Houston for “Wide Awake.” Wild looked comfortable on stage, and it was in fact comforting to see her perform live again after her run on the A Moment Apart Tour. Keen listeners seemed to have caught on, but almost every new song they played Friday night was layered subtly with songs from past albums, marking this tour as a celebration of not only the new album, but the entire ODESZA catalog.
The ODESZA drumline, also back for this tour, deserves its own praise, as they are a wonderful act on their own. They were surgically precise with their movements and completely in sync with each other, and their presence dominated the arena whenever they performed a solo. The trumpet players stood on their raised platforms, creating a pleasant symmetry on either side of the duo, their sound echoing vibrantly throughout. After a short transition through faded lights, a drummer and bass guitarist took the stage for the encore, “The Last Goodbye.” It culminated in a flurry of magical confetti where fans grabbed at pieces of icosahedron-labeled paper as the on-screen visuals depicted the same figure from the opening segment touching and rippling the screen, which quickly dissipated into darkness.
Mills and Knight, alongside all the musicians and drumline, gave one final bow while a harmonic version of “Light of Day” played in the background.
The first night of a series of three sold-out shows at Climate Pledge Arena was a resounding success. While the direction of their music has definitely shifted, it blends the emotive and electronic nature of past albums with a deeply introspective look into the adventure ODESZA has taken from their 2012 debut, In Return, to today. After a decade of the group, Friday night proved that one thing remains true — ODESZA is meant to be seen, and heard, live.
Drake brought one of his musical idols to his stage at October World Weekend in Toronto: fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado.
“Thank goodness I’m a nice, humble, well-spoken — I like to deal with people the right way — because that’s the only way that you can get this next person out of the house to come do what they’re gonna do right now,” Drake told the crowd at his hometown club History on Thursday night (July 28).
“I don’t care how loud you sang tonight. Right now I need you to sing as loud as you possibly can because this right here took a lot,” he said.
“This next person’s music changed my life so much,” added Drake. “I love her with all my heart, so when she comes out here you better show her some f—in’ love too.”
Furtado then joined Drake on stage at a concert he’d billed as “a celebration of the music that paved the way for all of us.” She walked out to 2006 hit “Promiscious” before launching into her 2001 breakthrough, “I’m Like a Bird.”
Drake encouraged his “choir” of an audience to sing along — “they have beautiful voices,” he insisted — to “I’m Like a Bird.” He also chimed in himself, faithfully crooning “though my love is true” and other parts of the tune’s chorus before hugging the singer.
October World Weekend festivities continue on Monday. Chris Brown and Lil Baby headlined Budweiser Stage on Friday, July 29, and Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne will be on the same stage on Aug. 1.
Watch a clip from Thursday’s show below, and check out a concert photo Drake shared on Instagram.
Amid coast-to-coast frenzy about the $1.3 billion Mega Millions jackpot this week, there was only one magic number for Hollywood Bowl music fans Friday night (July 29): 30. That’s the number of hit-filled years that TLC and Boyz II Men each brought to the stage during their respective 70-minute sets that kept the audience screaming, dancing and singing along from start to finish.
Here are five memorable moments from the Grammy-winning groups’ performances at the Bowl, now celebrating its 100th anniversary:
Hey Mr. DJ: Plugging into the ’90s nostalgia vibe that was already percolating throughout the full house, DJ Bubz jump-started his pre-intro set with DMX’s “Party Up (Up in Here).” From there, the party shifted straight into overdrive as he expertly steered into Kris Kross’ “Jump,” Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and Naughty by Nature’s “O.P.P.,” the latter of which elicited a boisterous audience sing-along and rabid arm waving. And still Bubz — who busted out his own share of energetic dance moves — kept it coming, cheekily sliding in a snippet of the theme song from TV’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before whiplashing into Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It,” Ginuwine’s “Pony” and Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison.” Then as four dancers dressed in silver shimmied onstage, Bubz ended his eight-minute run by asking the hyped-up audience one question: “Are you ready for TLC?!”
Still on the TLC Tip: Also dressed in silver, TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas opened with “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” followed by “What About Your Friends” — and quickly proved that 30 years is nothin’ but a number. “We’re very happy to be here tonight,” said Chilli. “Some of you have been with us since day one … and you’re still here. We love you.” That showed as the ladies traded lead vocals, harmonized — and also kept in step with the dance crew — on a string of TLC hits including crowd-pleasers “Baby-Baby-Baby,” “Creep” and “Red Light Special” (with the stage bathed in red) as well as other cuts, such as “Diggin’ on You” and “FanMail.”
A key moment during this segment was T-Boz’s intro to the group’s No. 1 Hot 100 single “Unpretty.” Noted the singer, “This next song is near and dear to my heart because I wrote it from my heart. My boyfriend then made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. With social media now, the song still rings true today.” Then to applause, she added, “I kicked his a– to the curb.”
Remembering Lisa: Not surprisingly, the audience erupted when TLC launched into its signature No. 1 hit “No Scrubs” with Chilli noting in advance, “This one song is particularly important from generation to generation … some of you men have forgotten [audience laughs]. But we don’t ever, ever, ever want what?!” Fans screamed back, “No scrubs!” The evening’s most touching moment was a tribute to TLC co-founding member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes with the evening’s closing song “Waterfalls” — featuring Lopes’ voice on track as well — as cell phone lights lit up the Bowl. Also a Hot 100 No. 1 for the group, the single was among several TLC songs co-written by Lopes, who died in 2002.
Expect the Unexpected: That was the theme of Boyz II Men’s performance, beginning with a moving overture of several of the group’s songs — including “A Song for Mama” — performed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra led by its principal conductor, Thomas Wilkins. The theme was further underscored when Jo Koy walked onstage to introduce the group. “This is the greatest group to ever touch the microphone,” said the stand-up comic. “And we’re here to celebrate that tonight.” Wearing black tuxedos and strolling out to a standing ovation, baritone Nathan Morris and tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman opened with “Oh Well,” a vocal-showcasing album track from 2002’s Full Circle.
Before segueing into “On Bended Knee,” one of several long-running Hot 100 No. 1 singles charted by the group over the years, Stockman explained what else was in store for the evening. “We wanted to do something special for you, [so] this is not your typical show,” he said. “We didn’t want to give you only what you expected. We want to give you a piece of us that you didn’t know existed.” Playing into that was the group being accompanied for the first time by the Bowl’s orchestra. Noted Stockman, “We learned about classical music going to school in Philadelphia. So this is like a homecoming.”
Pristine AF: Whether singing well-known early Boyz II Men cuts such as “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” “Water Runs Dry” and “I Will Get There” (from DreamWorks’ animated film Prince of Egypt) or lesser-known album tracks like the beautiful ballad “Girl in the Life Magazine,” the trio’s silky harmonies are still pure and mesmerizing — even more so against the orchestra’s symphonic backdrop. “We’ve always been about the music and singing organic, straight from the heart,” said Nathan at one point as the group’s band also joined them and the orchestra onstage.
And that led to another surprising twist: Shawn and Wanya picking up guitars as the group displayed their vocal versatility as well on a series of covers, beginning with Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” From there, the trio rocked out on Journey’s “Open Arms,” Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” and the Guess Who’s “American Woman” (also covered by Kravitz in 1999). Diverting from the set list, the Boyz also performed engaging snippets of the Beatles’ “Come Together” and Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.” Still the evening wouldn’t have been complete without closing with two of the biggest Boyz II Men songs — and popular crowd singalongs: “I’ll Make Love to You” and “End of the Road.”
