The Hollywood Bowl opened its 2023 season with a hell of party Saturday evening (June 10), thanks to Janet Jackson and her Together Again Tour with special guest Ludacris. It’s Jackson’s first major outing since her 2019 Metamorphosis Las Vegas residency and, later that year, her 30^th anniversary celebration of 1989’s Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.

Borrowing its name from the hit single featured on Jackson’s 1997 sixth album The Velvet Rope, Together Again fittingly embodied the reunion vibe coursing throughout the multi-generational and multi-racial audience inside the Bowl. Both Jackson and Ludacris kept the sold-out, constantly cheering, sing-along crowd on its feet from beginning to end of their Los Angeles stopover.

Before coming to the Bowl, Jackson and Ludacris performed the night before (June 9) in Irvine, Calif. Additional California stops on the Together Again Tour — which kicked off April 14 — include Chula Vista (San Diego, June 11), San Bernardino (June 14) and Mountain View (June 16) before heading to Portland, Oregon (June 20) and Seattle (June 21), and then wrapping Oct. 27 in Lincoln (Sacramento, Calif.).

Here are five memorable highlights from the Los Angeles show:

Grand Entrance: Jackson prefaced her one hour and 45-minute set with a video compilation of pivotal moments in her life and 50-year career, from growing up as the youngest sister of the famed Jackson 5 brothers to becoming a solo star in her own right. Then several beats after the video ended, followed by flashing colored lights, Jackson walked onto a circular platform in the center of the stage to extended thunderous applause and shout-outs, resplendent in a floor-length, purple-hooded cape tied with a bow at the neck, purple lipstick and a waist-long, top-knotted ponytail. Dropping the cape, she launched into “Love Me” and then “Damita Jo” wearing a gold sparkly jumpsuit and matching boots. As most fans know, the latter song is her middle name and the title of her 2004 album. It’s also one of several songs — including “Enjoy,” “Like You Don’t Love Me” and “Do It 2 Me” — that she’s been performing live for the first time. But no matter how much of the concert has already been covered in reviews thus far, nothing matches being there to experience first-hand the excitement that comes with the start of a Jackson concert. 

Dancing Machine and Other Moves: Further heightening the experience this time is the show’s minimalist set — three video screens, circular platform and upper platform — with Jackson complemented by four energetic male dancers who kept pace with her the whole time. So attendees were given a bird’s eye view of Jackson’s percolating stage presence and still captivating choreography.  Among the songs drawing ecstatic reaction during her 40-song set were “If,” “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “What Have You Done for Me Lately”/“Nasty,” “The Pleasure Principle,” “Control” (which had Ludacris dancing in the crowd), “All for You” and “Miss You Much.” A suite of slow songs (“Let’s Wait Awhile,” “Anytime, Anyplace,” “I Get Lonely”) lent an intimate vibe to the evening, as did Jackson performing “Again” with YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) led by conductor Thomas Wilkins.

“It feels so good to be home,” Jackson said before joining YOLA. “Tonight is very special to me because we’re all here to support the LA Phil.” Note: All proceeds from the Bowl’s opening night benefitted the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its learning and community programs.

Ending the show’s second act with “I Get Lonely,” Jackson serenaded one of the dancers and danced suggestively with him — before surprising the crowd by planting him with a full-on kiss and then sashaying offstage wearing a sly smile.

A Colorful Sendoff: Before encoring with “Together Again,” Jackson and crew gave the audience what it had been waiting for … a riveting reprise of one of her most popular and socially conscious hits, “Rhythm Nation.” Decked all in black — with Jackson donning a black T-shirt with RN spelled out across the front — the crew launched into a dance routine that was just as crisp and on-point as it was when Jackson introduced the track and its ground-breaking video back in 1989. A surprise fireworks display illuminating the sky above the Bowl put an exclamation point on the performance.

Shaken and Stirred: Flanked by several video screens frequently emblazoned with his fiery DTP (Disturbing tha Peace) label logo, Ludacris did just that. He didn’t simply warm up the crowd — he fired them up to boiling. With his unique, rapid-fire flow still intact, Luda commandingly strode the stage as he ripped his way through a 40-minute memory-evoking set. As one concertgoer was overheard noting, “You forget just how many records Ludacris has.” With his large Afro bouncing along, the rapper/actor/entrepreneur reeled off 18 songs as he took fans back to day one of his career. Among them: “Southern Fried Intro,” “Welcome to Atlanta,” “Area Codes,” “Lovers & Friends,” “My Chick Bad,” “Money Maker,” first hit single “What’s Your Fantasy,” “Stand Up” (wearing self-described “big ass white shoes”), his verses from Usher’s “Yeah!” and set closer “Get Back.” Honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May this year, Ludacris definitively proved what he declared early into his set: “I was born to be on this damn stage tonight!”

Jamming with Mr. Jam: Spotted in the audience getting his groove on as well was Jimmy Jam. He and partner Terry Lewis are the Grammy-winning songwriters-producers who collaborated with Jackson in crafting a majority of her hits. Watching him, alongside his family, was a cool and unexpected treat. 

Flavor Flav is in his Swiftie era and asking talented Taylor Swift fans to help him make a large number of custom friendship bracelets before the next Eras Tour concert he attends.

After catching Swift’s Friday night show at Detroit’s Ford Field and mingling with fans who gifted him handmade friendship bracelets, he seems to be taking Swift’s “You’re on Your Own, Kid” lyric “So make the friendship bracelets/ Take the moment and taste it” to heart. Friendship bracelet trading has become a fun trend for the crowds at Swift’s current tour.

“Swifties,” he wrote on Twitter Sunday afternoon (June 11), “I wanna hire one of y’all to make me some custom Flavor Flav bracelets to trade for the next Eras Tour stop ya boy hits up.”

“Who can help??” he asked.

“Ya boy wants hundreds of bracelets,,, maybe thousands,,, so maybe we hire several of y’all,,, looking for: •ITS•A•CLOCK• + •FLAVOR•FLAV In Navy with Silver Gonna start DMing some of y’all,” he added in a reply.

Hopefuls soon commented with their “resumes” — photos of the friendship bracelets they’ve already made for The Eras Tour — and Flav already seems impressed by the pool of applicants.

“WOWWWWWW!!! These just keep getting better!!!” he said after watching a video clip of a Flavor Flav friendship bracelet one fan created.

The Public Enemy co-founder had the time of his life at his first Eras stop in Detroit, where he found himself “makin new friends.” He posted numerous updates throughout the show on Friday, including a picture of a wrist full of colorful bracelets he’d collected that night.

See his job listing below. Plus, check out the Swift concert reel he posted, featuring his Eras Tour bracelet trading.

Stray Kids lead a busy week in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated June 17), as the pop group debuts at No. 1 with 5-STAR. It’s the Korean act’s third chart entry, and third to debut at No. 1, following MAXIDENT and ODDINARY, both in 2022.

The new album launches with 249,500 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending June 8, according to Luminate. That marks the fourth-largest week, by units earned, for any album in 2023. Further, of its starting unit sum, album sales comprise 235,000 — the largest sales week for an album this year, and the biggest for any title since Taylor Swift’s Midnights sold 1.14 million in its first week (Nov. 5, 2022-dated chart).

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 albums chart, five other titles arrive in the region: Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel starts at No. 3; ENHYPEN’s Dark Blood bows at No. 4 after its CD release on June 2 (it was issued via streamers and digital download on May 22); Metro Boomin’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack flies in at No. 7; Foo Fighters’ But Here We Are starts at No. 8; and Moneybagg Yo’s Hard to Love enters at No. 10.

With six debuts in the top 10, the region hosts the most new arrivals in over two and a half years, since the Oct. 10, 2020-dated chart, when six albums also began in the top 10.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new June 17, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (June 13). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of 5-STAR’s 249,500 equivalent album units earned, album sales comprise 235,000, SEA units comprise 14,000 (equaling 19.55 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 500.

As Stray Kids have seen their first three entries on the Billboard 200 all debut at No. 1, the last act also to have its first three chart entries all debut atop the list was Harry Styles, with his first three solo albums: Harry Styles (2017), Fine Line (2019) and Harry’s House (2022).

Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of 5-STAR was issued in collectible CD packages (18 total, including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and a signed edition in the group’s webstore), each containing a standard set of bonus items and randomized elements (photo cards, mini posters, sticker sets, photo books). There were also four alternative digital versions of the album, sold only in the act’s webstore, each containing the base song tracklist, but with alternative covers and bonus voice memos from individual members of the eight-member group, each selling for $6.99.

Effectively all of 5-STAR’s first-week album sales were CDs (98%; 231,000), with about 2% from digital album sales (about 4,000). The set was not available in any other retail format (such as vinyl or cassette).

5-STAR is mostly in the Korean language, but includes some English lyrics. It is the 19th mostly non-English language album to hit No. 1, and the third of 2023, following Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito (one week, March 11 chart) and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: Temptation (one week, Feb. 11).

Stray Kids have yet to chart a song on the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (through the most recently published list, dated June 10). The act has notched four entries on the Billboard Global 200, and seven titles on the Billboard Global 200 Excl. U.S. chart, which rank the most popular songs globally, and globally excluding the U.S., respectively.

Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 117,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%).

Jelly Roll rocks in at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with Whitsitt Chapel, starting with 90,000 equivalent album units earned — his biggest week yet and first top 40-charting release. (He previously logged three albums, none going higher than No. 97.) Of the new set’s first-week units, album sales comprise 63,000, SEA units comprise 25,000 (equaling 33.09 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 2,000.

Whitsitt’s album sales were aided by three vinyl LPs (including a color variant exclusive for Walmart), a standard CD, a signed CD sold through Jelly Roll’s webstore, a deeply-discounted digital album (only $4.20 for a limited time during the tracking week in his webstore), nine deluxe CD boxed sets that included branded merch and a copy of the CD and a “hymnal” Zine/CD package.

ENHYPEN notches its second top 10 on the Billboard 200, and the Korean pop group’s highest charting effort yet, as Dark Blood bows at No. 4 with 88,000 equivalent album units earned (also the act’s best week yet by units). Of its first-week units, album sales comprise 85,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 3.79 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of Dark Blood was issued in collectible CD packages (17 total, including a number of retailer-exclusives), each containing a standard set of bonus items and randomized elements. Dark Blood’s debut on the Billboard 200 comes only after its CD was released, as its digital album and streaming album both dropped on May 22.

Swift’s chart-topping Midnights falls 1-5 on the Billboard 200 with 83,000 equivalent album units earned (down 70%) and Lil Durk’s Almost Healed dips 3-6 in its second week (67,000; down 46%).

Metro Boomin’s star-studded soundtrack to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings in, debuting at No. 7 with 66,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, streaming equivalent album units comprise 62,000 (equaling 83.57 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 3,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. It’s the sixth top 10-charting set for Metro Boomin. The album features guests such as Future, Lil Wayne and Nas.

Foo Fighters’ But Here We Are — the band’s first album since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in early 2022 — starts at No. 8 with 62,000 equivalent album units earned. It’s the 10th top 10 album for the group. The album was led by the single “Rescued,” which topped both the Alternative Airplay chart (the act’s 11th leader there) and the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart (its 12th No. 1).

SZA’s chart-topping SOS drops 4-9 with 51,000 equivalent album units (down 8%).

Moneybagg Yo’s Hard to Love is the sixth and final debut in the top 10, as it bows at No. 10 with 51,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 48,500 (equaling 66.56 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 2,500 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. It’s the sixth top 10-charting set for the rapper.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.