At this stage in his life, nearly 30 years after making history with his hit “Corazón Partío” and following decades of arena touring, Alejandro Sanz could invest pretty much anything on his shows.
He has, and it’s all gone into the music. At a time when Latin shows have leaned into special effects, dancers and staging, Sanz put together a musical tour de force with more than 10 musicians, plus back-up singers on stage, all moving freely about in service of the music — including several instrumental interludes that sounded like A-plus jam sessions, traversing from flamenco-tinged pop to funk.
Which is not to say that the production Saturday night (Sept. 23) at Miami’s Kaseya Center was anything to scoff at. The video packages were stunning, and the stage risers allowed Sanz to operate from multiple locations.
But his biggest prop was his band, which Sanz used freely to navigate around the stage and set up moments: performing alongside his (upright) bassist, playing his guitar and singing fully acoustic with guest Beatriz Luengo, and perching cross-legged atop a set of stairs for one track, then standing beside the piano for another.
For Sanz’s avid fans, it was more than enough. The show, part of his En Vivo Tour presented in the U.S. by Loud and Live, was his highest-grossing ever in Miami, selling more than 12,000 tickets, according to management, for a complete sell-out.
Sanz plays next in Chicago on Sept. 27 and in New York on Sept. 30. Here are five standout moments from the show.
The Guests
Sanz is an artist with many artist friends, and many were there to either perform with him or cheer him on. “Miami is like our home,” said Sanz, and it felt like it. Performing guest artists included locals Camilo (beautifully performing their joint hit “Nasa”); Elena Rose (who guested on “Paraíso Express,” originally recorded with Alicia Keys in 2009, and who belted those vocals); Yotuel on “Labana,” Sanz’s homage to Havana; and last but not least, Yotuel’s wife Beatriz Luengo in an all-acoustic rendition of “Viviendo Deprisa.” Then there were the plentiful celebrity guests that were not on stage, including El George Harris, Camila Cabello and, up in a suite far from cameras, Sanz’s good friend Shakira.
The Band
It’s so refreshing to see a big band on stage these days. Sanz’s was plentiful and included two grand pianos, one in each corner of the stage, drums, percussion, bass, guitars, trumpet and three phenomenal backup singers. All told, over 10 musicians regaled us not only with top accompaniment for Sanz that at times resembled an intoxicating wall of sound, but also with dazzling, virtuoso interludes.
The Look
Sanz went ’80s and ’90s on the crowd with a pink suit, sunglasses and his spiky, white-blonde hairdo. It was classic, and he looked like a boss.
The Repertoire
It’s hard to encompass everything Sanz has to offer, but he managed to get through many of the big hits in the first quarter of the show before navigating into lesser-known gems like “Contigo,” “one of those songs that I say, ‘Damn, I wish I had written it,’” says Sanz (Joaquín Sabina is one of the co-writers of the song). Of course, there was room for “Corazón Partío” as a grand finale, and, as part of the encores, an all-time favorite, “Y Si Fuera Ella,” which doesn’t make it to every show, but luckily, it got here.
The Overall Vibe
Sanz’s arrangements are complex. His lyrics are complex. Watching 12,000 people sing along demonstrates that simplicity is not the only avenue to success.
Doja Cat‘s Scarlet tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 22) on Billboard, choosing Doja’s new album as their favorite music release of the past week.
Scarlet brought in more than 40% of the vote, beating out new music from Shakira and Fuerza Regida, Kylie Minogue, Zach Bryan and more.
Doja Cat’s Scarlet, her fourth studio album, marks her highly anticipated return following 2021’s Planet Her, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and delivered plenty of Hot 100 hits.
She’ll be heading out on a 24-date trek in support of the album with The Scarlet Tour, which kicks off on Halloween in San Francisco and wraps Dec. 13 in Chicago. Ice Spice and Doechii have been announced as opening acts.
Trailing behind Scarlet on the poll is Shakira and Fuerza Regida’s “El Jefe,” with 24% of the vote, and Minogue’s Tension, with 16% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
Megan Thee Stallion finally joined Beyoncé to perform “Savage” live together for the first time on the Renaissance World Tour.
The superstar pair of Texas natives treated a lucky Houston crowd to their “Savage” collab at NRG Stadium Saturday night (Sept. 23). Bey first put her twist on the track in 2020, when the “Savage” remix reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
On Saturday night, Meg surprised the stadium audience as a special guest.
“I’m that b—-. Been that b—-, still that b—-. Will forever be that b—-” she said as she arrived on Beyoncé’s stage. “What’s up, Houston?”
Megan Thee Stallion had originally been scheduled to play New York City’s Global Citizen Festival on Sept. 23. Earlier this month, the fest, which took place in Central Park on Saturday, announced that the rapper was “no longer available to perform,” citing “an unforeseen scheduling conflict.”
Check out a video of Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” performance below.
One person was injured when shots were fired during an argument between two groups of people at the Oklahoma State Fair on Saturday (Sept. 23), sending a crowd of people running for safety, police said.
One person was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after the evening shooting, Oklahoma City police Lt. Jeff Cooper said Sunday. Police initially took two people into custody but Cooper said one of them was later released.
Police have not yet released the suspect’s name.
The injured person was taken to the hospital and remained in critical condition Sunday, police said.
The shooting happened at an event center on the fairgrounds. Capt. Valerie Littlejohn said that after the initial shooting, someone fired some rounds into the air as people started running.
Guns are prohibited on the fairgrounds, and there are security and detectors at entrances, police said.
Motley Crue‘s Vince Neil, on the Saturday night lineup with an 8 p.m. start time, was mid-performance at the fair’s nearby Chickasaw Country Entertainment Stage when the incident occurred. He wrote about the alarming experience on his X (formerly Twitter) account Sunday afternoon.
“At a concert in Oklahoma City Crazy night last night. 3/4 of the way thru the set people started running,” Neil said. “We were told to get in [the] dressing room. There were shooters shooting people.”
“Thank you fans for your understanding,” he added, addressing those who were at the fair and didn’t get his full set.
In another message, Neil wrote, “Thankfully we are all okay! Thanks to everyone who came out. Please stay safe!”
See Neil’s statement below.
Immediately following news about headlining the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show presented by Apple Music, Usher sat down with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to discuss exclusive details about his upcoming performance.
The Grammy-winning R&B icon will take the stage at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024, marking the city’s first time hosting the big game.
“It is definitely going to be a moment to remember,” Usher, 44, told Lowe live from Paris, where he’s launching a brief residency at La Seine Musicale. “This is the most grand stage to ever play on. Those 13 minutes mean everything. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time.”
On that same day, Usher will also release his ninth album, Coming Home, the follow-up to his 2016 album, Hard II Love, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. He also teamed up with Zaytoven for the eight-track project, A, in 2018.
Coming Home will feature the Atlanta native’s previous 2023 release “Good Good,” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, which reached No. 12 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. The set is currently available for pre-order on Apple Music.
This year will mark the fifth year of the partnership between the NFL and Roc Nation to produce the Halftime Show, after a deal struck in 2019. That partnership has resulted in halftime shows by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020), The Weeknd (2021), a hip-hop showcase anchored by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar (2022), and Rihanna (2023).
The show will be produced by DPS, with executive producers Roc Nation and Jesse Collins, and will be directed by Hamish Hamilton.
Read below for the top 7 highlights from Usher’s interview with Lowe, and watch the full interview here.


