Visionary producer Jean-Michel Jarre will headline the opening ceremony of Amsterdam Dance Event 2026, as the global electronic music gathering launches its milestone 30th edition this fall (Oct. 21).

Organisers announced Tuesday (March 10) that Jarre will perform an exclusive gig at concert hall AFAS Live on Oct. 21, kicking off ADE’s five-day programme, which runs Oct. 21–25 across the Netherlands’ capital. The performance will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the artist’s landmark 1976 LP Oxygène.

Presented by MOJO and Insomniac, according to a press release, the concert will feature a venue-scale immersive performance with stage mapping, large projections and elaborate lighting architecture.

“Electronic music, like ADE, has a history, a legacy and a future,” said Jarre in a video posted to Instagram. “ADE is an essential pillar of the electronic music scene. ADE is in constant evolution; it’s a perfect reflection of what the electronic music scene is all about.”

Jarre is also set to participate in an exclusive keynote conversation at ADE Pro, the festival’s industry conference. Further announcements regarding the 77-year-old appearances throughout this year’s ADE will arrive over the coming months.

Founded in 1996, ADE has grown into one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals and industry conferences, drawing thousands of execs and fans each year. Recent editions have featured more than 3,300 artists performing across 1,200 events in over 200 venues throughout Amsterdam.

Speaking to Billboard U.K. at ADE 2025, festival’s director Jan-Willem van de Ven set out the event’s mission statement. “ADE is both an experience and business meeting point. You can discover well over a thousand events in the city, get marketing intelligence and find yourself in a space where creative communities are celebrated,” he said.

“For music pros, the priority is to come back every year because everybody is there; we want it to be the best moment of the year to do business.”

Tickets for Jarre’s AFAS Live show go on sale March 13 via MOJO. Earlybird passes for ADE Pro become available Mar. 11 via the festival’s official website.

A newly restored concert film capturing George Michael at the height of his late-’80s superstardom is headed to cinemas later this year.

George Michael Entertainment announced Tuesday (March 10) that George Michael: The Faith Tour — a previously unseen film documenting the singer’s landmark 1988 tour — will receive a worldwide theatrical release in partnership with Mercury Studios and Sony Music Entertainment.

The film was shot during the European leg of Michael’s Faith Tour at Paris’ Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in 1988 and captures the singer during a pivotal moment in his career, shortly after the release of his blockbuster solo album Faith. The footage, assembled from a 14-camera shoot captured on 35mm film across two nights, has been newly restored and remastered for the theatrical release.

Directed by longtime collaborators Andy Morahan and David Austin, the project revives a concert film that had remained largely unseen for decades. The restored footage showcases Michael’s live performance at the peak of the Faith era, widely regarded as the moment he cemented his status as one of pop music’s defining stars of the late 20th century.

The theatrical presentation will open with a short film directed by photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney. The introduction features previously unheard interview audio from Michael, along with unseen photographs by fashion photographer Herb Ritts and behind-the-scenes footage from the “Faith” music video.

Alongside the film, an accompanying live album titled The Faith Tour will be released globally through Sony Music. The 18-track set will feature previously unreleased performances recorded during the world tour and include material spanning Michael’s solo catalogue as well as songs from his earlier work with Wham!.

Michael’s 1987 album Faith remains one of the defining pop releases of its era. Written, produced and largely performed by the singer himself, the album earned the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and produced four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try” and “Monkey.” Michael remains the only British male solo artist to achieve four Hot 100 chart-toppers from a single album.

The album sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and helped transform Michael — who first rose to fame in the 1980s pop duo Wham! — into one of the defining solo stars of the MTV era.

Across his career, Michael sold more than 125 million records worldwide and earned eight No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The singer, who died in 2016 at age 53, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

George Michael: The Faith Tour will open in theatres worldwide later this year, with additional details on release dates and territories expected to be announced soon.

Carrie Underwood was visibly moved during a contestant’s performance on the latest episode of American Idol.

During Monday night’s (March 9) episode, contestant Keyla Richardson performed “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri during the show’s Ohana Round, prompting an emotional reaction from the judge.

Richardson, a 29-year-old singer from Pensacola, Fla., delivered the performance while her young son Drew watched from the audience, smiling and mouthing the lyrics. The moment resonated with Underwood, who became teary while offering feedback.

“To have the gift of watching you and getting to watch him,” Underwood said of Richardson’s son. “When I’m on stage and my boys are out there, I don’t know what they’re doing. And I feel like I just got a glimpse of what they might be doing when I’m on stage, and it just made my mama heart so happy.”

She added, “Your talent is limitless.”

Underwood shares two sons — Isaiah, 11, and Jacob, 7 — with former NHL player Mike Fisher.

The episode featured the show’s first Ohana Round of the season, where contestants perform for judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie alongside family members, peers and industry professionals.

Underwood also offered encouragement to several contestants who struggled emotionally during their performances.

Singer Sheldon Riley became overwhelmed during his rendition of Patrick Watson’s “To Build a Home,” apologizing to the audience after becoming emotional mid-performance. Underwood praised his vocal ability while urging him not to hold back.

“You have so much talent and power and range in your vocals,” she told Riley. “I feel like your brain just gets in the way. You’re building up walls in front of us every time you sing — but you don’t need to do that. You’re enough.”

Another contestant, Chloe Lauren, momentarily lost her place during a performance of Adele’s “Hello.” Underwood encouraged her to continue singing and praised the way she recovered.

“You’re here because we love your voice,” Underwood said. “It’s not about the little things that can go wrong during a performance. It’s how you finish strong.”

At the end of the episode, the judges narrowed the field to the season’s top 20 contestants. Richardson ultimately advanced to the next round, though she was the final contestant announced.

American Idol airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Smudge your eyeliner, grab your studded belt and lace up your Vans Sk8-His: It’s almost time for Warped Tour.

On Monday (March 9), Vans Warped Tour announced the highly anticipated lineup for the Washington, D.C., stop of the iconic touring festival. The Insomniac-backed tour has been announcing artists for each of the upcoming five dates one-by-one on their Instagram until the surprise drop of the D.C. set. More than 90 acts are set to take the stage during the festival’s two-day stop in the nation’s capital. Highlights from the lineup include Warped Tour alums Coheed and Cambria, Taking Back Sunday, Sleeping With Sirens and Gym Class Heroes as well as newcomers Grandson, Boston Manor and Hoobastank.

Three mystery acts have yet to be announced.

Vans Warped Tour was originally founded in 1995 and toured across the U.S. and Canada every summer for 33 straight years before concluding in 2018. After a three-stop anniversary tour in 2019 and six years off, Warped Tour was revived in 2025 on a smaller scale than the original festival. Rather than dozens of cities in one summer, the tour hit just three the initial first year back — Washington, D.C.; Long Beach, California; and Orlando, Florida. Now, for its second year in this new iteration, Vans Warped Tour is back in those three cities as well as two new ones: Montreal and Mexico City.

Washington, D.C.’s dates (June 13 and 14) are the first of this year’s stops. After D.C., the tour will head to Long Beach on July 25-26, followed by Montreal on Aug. 21-22 and Mexico City on Sept. 12-13, before concluding in Orlando on Nov. 14-15.

Fans hoping to hit one (or all) of the upcoming Warped Tour stops can find passes on the Vans Warped Tour website.