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After conquering Las Vegas, Usher is officially taking his show on the road, and fans can’t wait to see him live. A new round of tickets for the R&B star’s Past Present Future Tour, announced earlier in the week, went on sale on Friday (Feb. 16) at 10 a.m. local time.
The tour launches on Aug. 20 in Washington D.C. and will make stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Oakland, Calif., Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami and other cities before coming to a close in Chicago on Oct. 31. The tour was extended due to “overwhelming demand,” Usher revealed last Thursday in a post on X.
Since then, more dates have been added to the schedule including a sixth show in Atlanta on Aug. 14 and a third show added to Houston on Nov. 30.
Usher posted the latest dates on X on Friday, “Let’s make it’s an even VI — 6th SHOW ADDED TO ATLANTA on Wed, August 14th to USHER: PAST PRESENT FUTURE + 3rd show JUST ADDED in Houston on 11/30.”
The “Good Good” singer added extra shows to most of the cities on the tour, including Washington D.C., Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Miami, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C.
A select number of tickets are currently available on resale sites such as Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek, Viagogo and GameTime. Prices range from around $100-$140 on the low end to over $1,000 for VIP tickets.
How to Get Tickets on Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster’s presale is happening now. The lowest prices that we’ve seen online range from as low as $105 and around $166 for opening night in Washington D.C. and Usher’s shows in Los Angeles in September.
Tickets for later dates on the tour, such as Sept. 13 in Detroit and Sep. 29 in Oakland, are priced at $131-$333. Most of the VIP presale tickets are currently priced at more than $600 at Ticketmaster.
Fans can also purchase VIP experience packages like the Ultimate Meet & Greet Experience, which includes one premium reserved ticket in the first three rows, a VIP host, light snacks, desserts and beverages, a ride share voucher, early access to shop show merchandise, an exclusive VIP tour poster and VIP gift, and of course, you’ll get to meet Usher and take a photo.
The Diamond Barstool, Onstage Photo and VIP Lounge Experience and Gold Hightop Table & VIP Lounge Experience includes group photo opportunities and special seating in the VIP Bar section.
How to Get Tickets on Vivid Seats
Looking for the cheap tickets to see Usher? At Vivid Seats, you’ll find resale tickets for under $100, though most tickets are around $130-$150 and up for general admission and around $1,000-$1,500 for VIP. Use code: BB2024 to save $20 off ticket orders of $200 or more.
How to Get Tickets on StubHub
StubHub is a great resource for last-minute, cheap tickets — but the key to getting the best deal is striking at the right time. In this case, it’s better to secure your tickets as soon as possible as ticket demand spiked following Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Tickets on StubHub are priced as low as $89, but most of the cheaper tickets fall in the $100-$150 range. VIP tickets are priced from around $500 to more than $1,000.
Which tickets are the most expensive? Certain cities will cost you more than others. For example, Usher’s shows in Atlanta are some of fastest-selling tickets at StubHub and more expensive than some of the other cities on the tour. Right now, tickets for the Atlanta show on Oct. 17 range from as low as $168 for general admission to over $1,631 for VIP.
Usher is the only artist this year to surpass Taylor Swift as the most-searched artist on StubHub, according to the ticketing site.
After his Super Bowl halftime performance, StubHub saw an increase of five times the usual daily searches for Usher. On Monday, the day after his halftime performance, Usher was the most searched artist on StubHub officially passing Swift who was the most searched artist on StubHub every day of 2024, prior to Feb. 12.
How to Get Tickets on SeatGeek
SeatGeek is serving up some of the cheapest ticket prices that we’ve seen for Usher’s tour. Prices range from $49 to $226 for general admission. VIP packages range from around $650 to more than $1,400 on the high end (take $10 off eligible purchases of $250+ with code BILLBOARD10. Valid on first purchase only).
GameTime is another site that has reasonably-priced Usher tickets starting as low as $75 for select dates. But no matter how you score tickets, you’ll probably end up spending at least $200-$300 for a good view of the stage, and even more for VIP.
Usher forthcoming tour could become one of the biggest tours of the year, and the largest of his career. “The success of tour began several years ago when Usher launched his residency in Vegas, which re-established his greatness,” Live Nation Global Touring chairman Arthur Fogel said in an interview with Billboard. “Now he is building off that success with his current tour and the presales prove there is unprecedented demand to see him perform live.”
The father of four, who wed longtime girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea after his Super Bowl performance, has a busy performance schedule ahead. Before kicking off the Past Present Future Tour, the Grammy winner will headline the Lovers & Friends Festival in Las Vegas in May.
Super Bowl LVIII averaged 123.4 million people making Usher’s halftime show one of the most-watched in history.
See the list of dates below.
Prince Royce talks in depth about his new album Llamada Perdida with Sigal Ratner-Arias, deputy editor of Billboard Español. He explains why he wanted to name his new album Llamada Perdida, being vulnerable and open about his heartbreak while making it, what his favorite songs are, what he learned about himself while making Llamada Perdida, collaborations with Maria Becerra, Ala Jaza, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Luis Miguel Del Amargue, Gabito Ballesteros, Nicky Jam, Jay Wheeler and more.
Prince Royce:
These are very in depth questions.
Sigal Ratner-Arias:
Look at the happy face.
Prince Royce:
When I was young, my slogan was “live life smiling,” and that’s still my email signature. So I try to remind myself to smile. What’s up? It’s Prince Royce and this is Billboard News.
Sigal Ratner-Arias:
Hi, welcome to Billboard News. We’re here today with superstar Bachata singer Prince Royce, who brings us his album Llamada Perdida. Welcome, Prince Royce! Last night I listened to the 23 songs from your album Llamada Perdida. I loved it from start to end. Congratulations! I feel I got to know you …
Prince Royce:
Really?
Sigal Ratner-Arias:
A little better. I thought it was a very personal album, maybe the most personal one of yours. Do you think it is more personal?
Prince Royce:
Yes. I think that at a composition level, it’s very personal. I tried not to overthink the album, to have fun, add personality. There are very serious concepts, and at the same time, I find ways to, make a joke, or find the brighter things. This album comes after an album that came out during COVID. My last album Alter Ego came out in 2020. I did four shows, then tour was canceled. It was a strange moment because usually, you release an album and you have your plan. I recorded the album, tours and those things happened. I wasn’t recording much or writing. Many strange things happened in my personal life. It was definitely, a weird time the recording of this new album.
Watch the full video above!
A lot has happened in Prince Royce’s life since his last studio album, Alter Ego (2020). Along with having his promotion and touring plans derailed thanks to the pandemic, the bachata star went through a divorce in 2022, following a 12-year relationship. Now, Royce presents what is arguably his most personal work to date in Llamada Perdida, his seventh studio album, released Friday (Feb. 16) under Sony Music Latin/Smiling Prince Music.
“I think that at a composition level, it’s very personal. I tried not to overthink the album, to have fun, add personality,” the bachata star tells Billboard Español, confessing that the most difficult thing was not to put his feelings on paper, but to share them with his fans.
“I am kind of shy, I don’t like people knowing that I am suffering, that I’m crying. I like to pretend everything’s fine on the outside, not to be fake but, no one wants to be seen as vulnerable,” he explains. “But you know what? I think it was a way for me […] to let go. The beautiful thing about music is that in the end the audience doesn’t know if its fiction or non-fiction. It could be a little bit true, a little bit of a lie, a fusion of many things. I think that gives me the opportunity to vent, in some ways.”
With 23 tracks (22 songs, actually, plus one skit) fusing bachata with uptempo/disco, regional Mexican, merengue, urbano and more, Llamada Perdida — Spanish for “Lost Call” — is “a celebration of overcoming obstacles, especially in love, [which] represents the end of a life chapter as well as the acceptance of a new beginning,” as described in a press release.
Beyond that, the Royce and D’lesly “Dice” Lora-produced set takes us on a fascinating roller coaster of emotions. It is heartbreaking in “Un Papel and “Frío en el Infierno,” which talk about the pain of a separation and letting the loved one go, respectively; funny in “Los Lambones,” and hopeful in “La Vida Te Hace Más Fuerte.” And it includes a long, eclectic list of collaborators: There are both established and emerging Latin stars like Nicky Jam and Jay Wheeler (“Si Te Preguntan…”), Maria Becerra (“Te Espero,” with a surprising sample of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight”) and Gabito Ballesteros (“Cosas de la Peda”), as well as less-predictable names like New York rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie (“Boogie Chata”), Dominicans Ala Jaza (“Sufro”) and Luis Miguel del Amargue (“Anestesiada”).
“I think the overall concept of the album is the form of communication,” Royce says, explaining why he chose its title. “If you take the call, something can happen. If you don’t take it. If you say something; if you don’t say something. If you send a drunk text; if you don’t send it.”
During the interview with Billboard Español, Prince Royce spoke in depth about the album, the lessons he learned over the last four years and — half seriously, half jokingly — the role that alcohol played in his life. Watch the full interview above.
Ariana Grande remixes her Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Yes And ?” with her idol and iconic diva Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa is officially in “Training Season” with her latest drop, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and Chris Hemsworth will co-chair the 2024 Met Gala, Gunna drops his latest single “Bittersweet,” Billboard reporter Rania Aniftos breaks down the inside scoop about Jennifer Lopez’s latest project ‘This Is Me…Now,’ Karol G teams up with DJ Tiësto on their latest song “CONTINGO” and more!
Tetris Kelly
Some of the biggest names in music will co-chair the Met Gala. We take you inside J.Lo’s movie premiere. Jennifer tells us more about her possible last album. Prince Royce stops by our studio and our Friday music guide is chock full of divas.
Tetris Kelly
Happy Friday fam. I’m Texas Kelly for Billboard News. It’s February 16th and we’re starting today’s show off with our Friday music guy and it includes my favorite dynamic duo. Ariana and Mariah on a non holiday track it is still feels like Christmas to me. Come on whistle tones.
Tetris Kelly
We’ll have more new music throughout the show. But first let’s get into our top story. The first Monday in May is almost here and we know some famous faces we’ll definitely be seeing it this year’s Met Gala. Zendaya has been named one of the year’s co-chairs of the 2024 Met Gala. She’s no stranger to walking those famous stairs and with her recent ‘Dune: Part Two’red carpet show steal. There’s no surprise she’s top of the list. Bad Bunny is also one of this year’s co-chairs. He’s always the talk of the town when he attends the gala. This year, it’s in honor of the exhibit Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. While the exhibit sounds Disney it actually refers to clothing so fragile it can ever be worn again, thus sleeping in the archives. Another Met Gala staple Jennifer Lopez is our final musical co-chair, fellow actor Chris Hemsworth rounds out the fantastic four co-chairs with his first ever Met Gala appearance. We can’t wait to see how they adhere to this year’s dress code the Garden of Time. Some other artists we’d love to see at the Met Gala: Beyoncé of course, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B always blow us away with their looks. The girls of BLACKPINK always shines. Maybe we can get some more K-Pop artists. Plus Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift will all be coming off of album releases and we’d love to see what kind of fashion they bring.
Watch the full video above!
For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating, Quincy Jones.
Quincy Jones
To get to work with almost every major influencer in America, you know from Louis Armstrong to Billy Eckstine, Ella, Sarah, Ray Charles, Aretha, Paul Simon, everybody.
Tetris Kelly
For Black History Month Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating Quincy Jones.
Tetris Kelly
The incomparable Quincy Jones is a staple in the music industry with 25 songs on the Hot R&B, Hip-Hop Songs chart, four of which reached No. 1, he’s won an Emmy, a Tony, a humanitarian Oscar and an insane 28 Grammys, making him one of only 25 people to achieve EGOT status. He has an incredible resume and over 70 years of musical memories to be proud of.
Quincy
Meeting Ray Charles was number one, playing with Billie Holiday at 14 years old at the Eagle auditorium. Played with Billy Eckstine, played with Cam Calloway…
Tetris Kelly 1:08
But it’s not just his own successes on his CV, some of the biggest legends in music have Quincy Jones to thank for their achievements. In 1961, Quincy became the director of A&R for Mercury Records. Three years later, he will become the vice president becoming the first African American to hold a top executive position at an American major record label. Quincy has worked with some of music’s greatest and is to thank for creating the Michael Jackson we know to this day.
Quincy Jones
Michael that was an accident. We did ‘The Wiz.’ And he said, because he helped me find a producers and Michael, you don’t even have the song and the picture yet. Let’s not only think about that, let’s get to the song when he asked me about the producer to see what he could do that hadn’t been done before. I was thinking about the reins of his voice and just that’s the stuff that you do like the architecture of production, you know.
Tetris Kelly
There’s no denying Quincy Jones has changed the entertainment game.
Quincy Jones
I’ve been so blessed to be able to contribute to how that changes is how we are represented and received. We’ve come a long way from the time when you need to see faces of color on TV.
Tetris Kelly
Today we honor the music Titan Quincy Jones
Cumulus Media vp of country Charlie Cook is set to leave the company, with his last day being May 31, Billboard has confirmed. Cook also serves as operations manager for Cumulus’ Nashville cluster and program director for Nashville country stations WKDF and WSM-FM Nashville. Cook’s most recent contract renewal was in 2022.
Country Aircheck first reported the news of Cook’s upcoming departure, noting that Cook told vp/market manager Allison Warren, chief content officer Brian Philips and senior vp of programming operations John Dimick in April 2023 of his desire to pursue new challenges. Cook stated, “They asked me to give them a year. Well, here we are almost a year later and it’s time for me to move away from an experience that I have loved for something new and different. Thanking everyone inside Cumulus and in Nashville would fill these pages so I look forward to personally thanking everyone over the next few months.”
Philips said in a statement, “Charlie Cook’s accomplishments and awards are the stuff of Nashville legend. He is of course, in character, irreplaceable. I foresee a future where we will always rely on his wise counsel. He represents the gold standard among Cumulus employees. We are deeply grateful for his immeasurable contributions.”
Warren added, “Charlie has been a vital part of the Cumulus and specifically WKDF/WSM-FM family for the past nine years. He has helped shape and drive the format of both 103.3 Country and 99.5 Nash Icon, bringing joy and entertainment to countless listeners. He is not only a talented professional, but also a loyal friend and a passionate music lover. We cannot thank him enough for his years of service, dedication, and creativity. We wish him the very best in whatever adventures are ahead. He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”
Cook launched his radio career at Michigan stations in the 1970s, followed by roles at stations in Denver, L.A. and New York. He received Billboard‘s country DJ of the year honor in 1977. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, heserved in roles at McVay Media and Westwood One.
Cook was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2011 before joining Cumulus in 2014. Last year, he was honored with the Academy of Country Music’s service award, alongside Bill Mayne; Cook is the Academy of Country Music’s longest-serving board member.
Cumulus Media has launched a search for Cook’s successor, having posted a job opening for a music & brand content manager.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s first of two weekends has now sold out of general admission tickets, according to promoter Goldenvoice. Once known for selling out on the same day that the lineup was released, this year, the festival took exactly 27 days, four hours and 38 minutes to sell approximately 125,000 tickets for the first weekend.
That’s far longer than in 2023 when tickets for the first weekend sold out in just four days, or in 2022 when Coachella returned after a two-year pandemic break and sold out both weekends of the festival in about 40 minutes.
Goldenvoice president and festival cofounder Paul Tollett has not publicly addressed this year’s festival’s sales and declined to comment for this story.
News of the weekend one sellout, for April 12–14, was announced Thursday (Feb. 15) on Goldenvoice’s X account, with a tweet posted at 2:38 pm PST saying, “GA and GA + Shuttle passes for Coachella Weekend 1 are now SOLD OUT. Very limited Weekend 1 VIP remain. See you in the desert.” Those weekend one VIP tickets are going for $1,399. Weekend two VIP tickets are priced at $1,100, while three-day general admission tickets for the second weekend, April 19-21, are priced at $549.
In 2022, weekend two tickets sold out shortly after the lineup was announced, but the second weekend did not completely sell out last year.
This year’s Coachella lineup is led by Lana Del Rey, Tyler. The Creator, Doja Cat and a special reunion of No Doubt.
Don Toliver snatches his first top 10 hit as a lead artist on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart as “Bandit” opens at No. 9 on the list dated Feb. 17. The track, released on Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records, also starts at No. 38 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the week’s highest debut.
In the tracking week of Feb. 2 – 8, “Bandit” recorded 10.9 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. The sum sparks the song’s No. 5 entrance on the Rap Streaming Songs chart and No. 18 start on the corresponding, all-genre Streaming Songs list. Streams drive almost all the “Bandit” activity for the week; the song sold a negligible number of sales downloads and registered 145,000 airplay audience impressions.
Although “Bandit” gives Toliver his first top 10 as a lead artist on Hot Rap Songs, the Houston-based rapper/singer has two prior visits in featured roles, which both peaked at No. 3. He and NAV had supporting spots on Internet Money and Gunna’s “Lemonade,” in 2020, while he and Future were guests on Metro Boomin’s “Too Many Nights,” in 2022.
Elsewhere, “Bandit” begins at No. 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and becomes Toliver’s best showing as a lead act, overtaking the No. 15 peak of “Flocky Flocky,” featuring Travis Scott, in 2021. On the all-genre Hot 100, “Bandit” arrives at No. 38 and gives the artist his third top 40 hit. “Too Many Nights” reached No. 22 in December 2022 and SZA’s “Used,” which features Toliver, earned a No. 30 high the same month.
Toliver’s new track also yields a win for Kevin Parker, best known as the chief figure of Tame Impala, who claims a songwriting credit from “Bandit” sampling the act’s “One More Hour.” Thanks to the lift, Parker picks up his first top 10 as a writer on Hot Rap Songs after three previous entries: Kanye West’s “Violent Crimes” (No. 14) in 2017, Travis Scott’s “Skeletons” (No. 24) in 2018 and Kid Cudi’s “Dive” (No. 20) in 2020.
