Alex Warren’s second full-length studio album WILDCHILD makes a chart-topping bow on a pair of Billboard charts, as the set arrives at No. 1 on Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums (dated Sept. 12) — his first leader on both rankings. The set also enters at No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200 and at No. 9 on Indie Store Album Sales. On the Billboard 200, it marks the singer-songwriter’s second top 10 and highest-charted set, and it’s his first entry on the Indie Store Album Sales ranking.
The new album is the follow-up to Warren’s first full-length, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, which hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200, No. 7 on Top Album Sales and No. 5 on Vinyl Albums. That set contained the smash Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit single “Ordinary.”
WILDCHILD arrives with 75,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week (ending Sept. 3) according to Luminate — his best week ever by units. Of that sum, album sales comprise 55,000 (his best sales week). The remainder of the set’s first week sum was driven by streaming activity and track purchases.
The new album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 13 vinyl variants (two of them signed), five CD variants (two signed), three download editions (two with bonus tracks) and a cassette.
WILDCHILD was preceded by three charted songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Passenger” (No. 100 in June), “Fine Place To Die” (No. 87 in May) and the radio-promoted single “Fever Dream” (No. 21 in March).
WILDCHILD leads a busy top 10 on the Sept. 12-dated Top Album Sales chart, where the latest releases from The Warning, Billy Strings, Sara Bareilles, Mastodon and Prince also arrive.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on pure album sales (physical and digital download purchases combined). The chart’s history dates to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-09 03:03:502026-09-09 03:03:50Alex Warren’s ‘WILDCHILD’ Debuts at No. 1 on 2 Billboard Album Charts
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
It’s hard to believe that Dolly Parton thought of herself as unattractive, telling Radio Times magazine in 2014 that she was “not a natural beauty” and “I look like hell” sans makeup. But these photos certainly contradict her internal monologue.
Following the musician’s death on Aug. 25, fine-art photography gallery Sonic Editions resurfaced rare images from across Parton’s career, from the 1970s when “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” had already helped make her a country superstar, to her 2014 Glastonbury performance. Many of the photos offer an intimate look into her life, like Parton joking with passersby on the streets of New York and candid moments during her 1978 Playboy shoot in Los Angeles.
The high-quality prints come in unframed options that begin at $99 for the smallest 4×11-inch size, while framed versions start at $189. Each image is offered in five sizes, with black or white framing available, and the largest framed photo, 37×26-inch, costs $999.
David Gahr photographed Parton in New York in Sept. 1976, during a pivotal period in her career. That year brought the premiere of her variety show Dolly and another major country success with the All I Can Do album, which included tracks “All I Can Do” and “Hey, Lucky Lady.”
Photographed in New York City in Sept. 1976, Dolly Parton was expanding her career beyond country music, and this trip helped introduce her distinctive personality and star power to a broader mainstream audience.
This portrait was taken on March 13, 1977, before Parton performed in Battle Creek, Michigan. She was touring heavily that year and traveling with the more rock-oriented Gypsy Fever Band. Around the same time, she released “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” and “Applejack.”
Harry Langdon photographed Parton in Los Angeles for the portrait session associated with her famous October 1978 Playboy appearance. Parton posed in the signature bunny costume for the shoot and later discussed her decision to appear on the cover, saying she had initially worried about how some fans would react.
Parton made her Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid Stage on June 29, 2014, performing during the festival’s third day. Her set became one of the weekend’s defining moments, drawing an enormous crowd and featuring favorites including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Since Parton’s death, online searches for merchandise and memorabilia have climbed as fans look for ways to celebrate her life and legacy, and among the most personal tributes are these rare photographs.
Sonic Editions also has an extensive archive of music photography beyond Parton. Fans can find prints celebrating artists including Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Nirvana. The company specializes in limited-edition fine-art photography designed to bring pieces of history into your home. Free shipping for orders over $200.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-09 03:03:492026-09-09 03:03:49From Candid to Iconic, Discover the Latest Collection of Rare Dolly Parton Photos Made for Your Wall Gallery
Sabrina Carpenter Wins First Primetime Emmy for ‘The Muppet Show’
Bad Bunny Wins First Primetime Emmy for 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Updated
Here Are All the Winners in the 7 Music Categories at the 2026 Primetime Emmys: Full List
And these multi-talented pop stars are just getting started. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about whether the Emmy and Grammy winners could add an Oscar or Tony next for the coveted EGOT honor. Listen below for our full conversation about the most likely paths they could take to get there.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Rod Wave notches his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with the chart-topping arrival of Don’t Look Down, how Alex Warren captures his highest-charting album ever with the No. 2 bow of WILDCHILD, and how Ella Langley is now one week away from tying Mariah Carey’s all-time record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Choosin’ Texas.”
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-09 03:03:492026-09-09 03:03:49Sabrina Carpenter & Bad Bunny Are Both First-Time Emmy Winners! Could EGOT Be Next?
Caroline Bienstock, who previously served as president/CEO of Carlin Music, passed away in New York on Sept. 1 after a protracted illness. She was 68.
Bienstock was a longtime, stalwart indie music publisher, right up to the sale of Carlin Music for about $250 million to Round Hill Music in 2017. For years, the company was headquartered in the Brill Building and, like the famed location, it was home to many songs in the classic American Songbook, including such tunes as “What A Wonderful World” and “Sea of Love.” Carlin was also the music publisher for classic hits by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Stephen Sondheim, AC/DC and James Brown, among others. The company’s catalog included “Spanish Harlem,” “Happy Together,” “Nashville Cats,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “Monster Mash,” “Good Lovin” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Related
Carlin America’s Half Century of Hits for Sinatra, Sondheim — and The Muppets: Q&A
Billboard to Add Smart Media Albums As Chart-Eligible Sales Formats
Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Gives First Interview After Tupac Shakur Murder Conviction
In 2016, Billboard reported that Carlin, which had offices in Nashville, London, Paris and New York, had 8,500 songwriters in its royalty system and more than 80,000 titles in its catalog.
Born in 1958, Bienstock was the daughter of two music industry legends. Her mother Mariam was an executive and co-founder of Atlantic Records, and her father, Freddie, bought out the owners of the publishing company he had worked for and renamed it Carlin Music in 1966. The company moniker was derived from the name of his then-8-year-old daughter Caroline. He called it Carlin after he realized he couldn’t call the company Caroline Music because Radio Caroline had the rights to the name, according to a story Billboard published in 1994. After graduating from Yale College and earning a law degree from Boston University, Caroline received an MBA from the Wharton School, according to the 2016 Billboard story.
Bienstock first practiced law and worked at Goldman Sachs before joining the Carlin in the late 1980s. Her father was initially resistant to the idea of her joining the family business, she told Billboard in 2016. But eventually he relented, and by 1993, she had risen to the position of CFO and COO. By 1998, she was president of the company. Along the way, she told Billboard that Carlin Music’s growth strategy “is to expand into new territories by buying catalogs in them.”
“As the person who is managing these assets for the benefit of the family,” she told Billboard in 2016, “I have to make the best possible decisions that aren’t based on nostalgia or sentiment.”
Related
Clive Davis, Legendary Music Executive, Dies at 94
Like her parents before, Bienstock made a name for herself as an industry leader. Beyond her responsibilities helming Carlin Music, she served at one time or another on the boards of the NMPA (National Music Publishers Association), ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), AIMP (American Independent Music Publishers) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The latter group awarded her the Abe Olman Publisher Award in 2017.
In 2016, Bienstock told Billboard, “I remember attending an industry event with [my father] where somebody approached and said, ‘Oh, Freddy Bienstock. Are you Caroline Bienstock’s father?’ To him, that was just amazing because, of course, he was the music publishing legend and I was just his daughter.”
Bienstock is survived by her husband Douglas Rodrigues, her children and children-in-law, her grandchildren and her brother Robert Beinstock, who was also an executive at Carlin Music. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the ALS Association and/or Target ALS, in honor of Caroline’s life and legacy.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-09 03:03:482026-09-09 03:03:48Caroline Bienstock, Former President/CEO of Carlin Music, Dies at 68
When Country Splash Cabo co-founder Robert Friedfirst talked to Billboardabout launching the destination festival in Cabo San Lucas, he said, “One of the core concepts [is] to be the opposite of a major field festival. The intent is to be up close and personal where you can see your favorite country artists from 100 feet away instead of watching on an LED screen.”
Mission accomplished.
The first (hopefully) annual event took place Sept. 4-6. Country Splash bought out the 350-room/suite Paradisus Cabo San Lucas, an all-inclusive luxury beachfront resort, as well as made deals with surrounding hotels to create a peak destination musical experience.
With headliners Tucker Wetmore, Jon Pardi and Riley Green, the poolside festival also featured an undercard that included such developing talent as Jacob Hackworth, Blake Whiten, Zach John King and Lauren Watkins. Rounding out the bill were Dasha, LoCash and Cameron Whitcomb, who were among the best received acts of the event.
Related
Country Music Festivals Are Exploding in Mexico — And They’re Not Just Catering to American Fans
The live acts started right after sundown. The temperature was still sweltering — it was 88 degrees with 67% humidity at 9:15 p.m. Saturday night — but at least it no longer felt like 106 degrees as it had earlier in the day, in the blistering sun. The heat had main character energy in virtually every act’s set: At one point, Dasha declared, “I’ve never had so much sweat drop down my body before.”
Fried built the event around intimacy and capped attendance at 3,000 people this year (potentially expanding to 5,000 attendees for future years), making it about half the size of Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa in Cancun. Despite having to the navigate around the massive pool (as if that’s a negative), it never felt overcrowded, and there was always ease of movement between the stage, the vendor stands and bars. The only thing occasionally blocking sightlines were the palm trees. There was even a wellness element that included a yoga class with Diplo on Saturday.
The festival is among the growing number of music events highlighting American country music in Mexico, catering to tourists and Mexicans alike as the genre’s popularity swells in the country. Country Splash may be the most luxe offering: All-inclusive suites at the Paradisus went for as high as $10,000 for four nights, but there were also one-day general admission passes available for as low as $199, according to the event’s website.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-08 03:04:322026-09-08 03:04:32Country Splash Cabo Fest With Riley Green, Jon Pardi and More Combines Song, Sand & Surf: 7 Best Moments
Macklemore is facing backlash from a pro-Israel organization after making an onstage plea to “Free Palestine.”
The 43-year-old rapper made the public plea while opening for Ed Sheeran at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Friday (Sept. 4) as part of the British superstar’s Loop Tour.
Related
Macklemore Supports College Campus Protests, Rips Biden on Pro-Palestinian Song ‘Hind’s Hall’
Macklemore Speaks at Pro-Palestine Rally in D.C.: ‘This Is a Genocide’
Macklemore Releases Statement, Clarifies ‘F— America’ Chant in Seattle: ‘They Will Not Silence My Voice’
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore told the crowd. “I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
During his set, the Grammy-winning rapper also performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
Macklemore said he believes “every single human being that walks this earth deserves” to “know safety and peace before they know the sound of violence, to know the sound of laughter on a playground before planes and bombs, for parents to be able to say bye to their kids in the morning and not have to wonder if this is going to be the last time they kiss their child goodbye.”
The “Thrift Shop” hitmaker concluded his remarks by reflecting on his own fears and his decision to speak out.
“And if I let that fear I felt on the plane yesterday stop me from speaking my heart in order to keep my own comfort and the audience’s comfort, that is the day I no longer continue to be on stage,” he said. “So, I say ‘Free Palestine!’ I say, free America, free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran, and all the people in America who have to live in fear because of this terrorist organization ICE.”
Macklemore’s politically charged speech drew the attention of the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which represents more than 150,000 Israeli Americans. The organization has since launched a petition calling for the rapper to be removed from Sheeran’s remaining tour dates.
Macklemore is currently scheduled to open eight U.S. stadium shows between mid-September and early November, according to Sheeran’s website.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,” the IAC’s petition reads. “The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda. This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity.”
The organization is also calling “on tour leadership to clarify whether Macklemore’s political speech, visual content, and performance of ‘Hind’s Hall’ were approved in advance, and to establish clear boundaries for the use of the tour stage to promote political messaging.”
Macklemore has been vocal in his support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war. In May 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall” in support of Gaza and pro-Palestinian student protests, criticizing U.S. support for Israel. He said all streaming proceeds from the song would go to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-08 03:04:312026-09-08 03:04:31Macklemore Faces Petition to Leave Ed Sheeran Tour After ‘Free Palestine’ Plea
“Click,” JISOO’s latest solo single, tops this week’s new music poll.
Related
JISOO Cuts a Lonely Figure as a Theme Park Cyborg With a Heart In ‘CLICK’ Music Video: Watch
Miley, Beyoncé, ADÉLA & More: New Music Friday Guide
Macklemore Faces Petition to Leave Ed Sheeran Tour After ‘Free Palestine’ Plea
Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 4) on Billboard, choosing the BLACKPINK star’s new song as their favorite new music — with the track narrowly taking the lead over a new solo release (“SaWaDiKa”) from another BLACKPINK star, LISA. Both songs were up against hot new releases from Miley, Adéla, Beyoncé feat. Pharrell and more, all of which arrived this week.
“Click,” bringing in more than 50% of the vote, ultimately rose to the top.
“Click” made its debut Friday (Sept. 4) alongside a cinematic, Joseph Kahn-directed music video starring a cyborg JISOO: She’s in an abandoned theme park, where she crosses paths with a suitor and a robotic teddy bear, the CLICK Bear — who helps the singer bring life to her deserted surroundings. The bear represents the presence of the JISOO’s fans, and her connection with them.
“Counting the reasons that we shouldn’t/ Mess up this thing, be more than friends/ But when you hold me like this/ And kiss away our differences/ There’s no explanation for it/ It’s just the way our bodies click/ Your lips, my lips, click/ We were made to fit/ Your hands, my hips, click/ We were made to fit,” JISOO sings on the pop track.
The release of “Click” follows JISOO’s 2025 debut mini album, AMORTAGE, and her most recent single, the Zayn collab “EYES CLOSED.”
Just behind “Click” on the poll is LISA’s solo song “SaWaDiKa,” with nearly 45% of the vote. Miley’s “Bass Persuades,” Adéla’s PRIMA and Beyoncé’s “CAN I WATCH YOU” feat. Pharrell were next on the ranking.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-08 03:04:312026-09-08 03:04:31Fans Choose JISOO’s ‘Click’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Watching Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, Stephen Knight (Peaky Blinders)’s exhilarating portrait of Oasis’ long-awaited return, the Gallagher brothers remain perfectly-calibrated opposites: Liam, instinctive and gloriously unpredictable; Noel, dry, watchful and incapable of resisting a good put-down.
But one of the great pleasures of the reunion documentary, opening in cinemas this week (Sept. 9), is seeing how much affection now exists beneath all the familiar friction. Throughout, Noel is genuinely enthralled by Liam’s presence — at one point declaring that Liam putting a tambourine on his head during last year’s Live ‘25 Tour as “the coolest f—ing thing in the world” and describing him simply as “delightful” to be around. Liam, meanwhile, is relentless in trying to make his elder sibling laugh at any given moment.
Related
Oasis Live ’25 Reunion Tour Setlist in Cardiff, Wales: Every Song From the First Show
It’s surreal viewing, to put it lightly. After 16 years apart, the brothers returned to the stage last summer for 41 shows, taking Oasis across the world and into stadiums filled with both lifelong devotees and a striking new generation of fans. Knight’s film follows the journey from the tense first rehearsals — including one dramatic scene in which Liam disappears from the room before the last chord of “Champagne Supernova” rolls out — through to the gigs themselves, capturing the band as they lead enormous crowds in singing their hearts out. Along the way, the film shows how the reunion took on a different character in each city, shaped by the fans’ reactions and rituals, while making clear that Oasis no longer belongs to just the generation that grew up with them in the 1990s.
The joy of seeing the band back together is also inseparable from the knowledge of how spectacularly things fell apart the first time in 2009. As the documentary reminds us, Oasis’ final show ended before it began, with the band pulling out of Paris’ Rock en Seine festival after a backstage altercation between Liam and Noel, who walked away from the band that night. Knight, alongside filmmakers Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, who directed 2016’s Oasis: Supersonic, get unprecedented access to the brothers as they prepare to return to the stage, allowing their individual accounts of the split (“It was disgraceful,” Noel says at one point) — and their feelings about each other now — to gradually emerge.
What follows is a collection of moments that bring the reality of such a high-stakes reunion into focus: Liam explaining that he treated the songs with “respect” by giving up drinking and smoking before the shows; the striking evidence of just how good his voice sounds; and Noel, visibly overwhelmed on opening night in Cardiff, saying he nearly needed a “time out” to exhale and take in what is happening.
Here are five standout scenes from Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-08 03:04:312026-09-08 03:04:31‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger’ Captures the Gallagher Brothers Like Never Before: 5 Best Moments
A second death has been reported at this year’s Burning Man festival in northern Nevada.
On Saturday afternoon (Sept. 5), Craigh Mann, 60, was found dead at his camp in Black Rock City, according to festival organizers.
Related
This Is the Official Burning Man 2026 Theme, And This Is How It Was Chosen
Burning Man Attendee Dies After Suffering ‘Medical Emergency’ at Nevada Festival
Macklemore Faces Petition to Leave Ed Sheeran Tour After ‘Free Palestine’ Plea
“Burning Man Project is saddened to share that a second Black Rock City participant, Craigh Mann, a 60 year-old man, was found deceased by campmates in his camp on Saturday, September 5, at approximately 3 PM,” organizers said in a statement. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, campmates, and all those affected by this loss.”
No cause of death was disclosed at press time.
Mann’s death marks the second reported fatality at this year’s festival, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The nine-day event began Aug. 30 and is scheduled to conclude Monday (Sept. 7).
The latest death comes days after another attendee in his mid-50s died following a “medical emergency” at the festival on Thursday (Sept. 3).
“It is with heavy hearts that Burning Man Project confirms a Black Rock City participant in his mid-50s experienced a medical emergency,” the festival said. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, and those affected by this loss.”
The man “immediately received lifesaving measures, and was transported to the onsite center for emergency care where he was pronounced deceased,” according to organizers.
His cause of death had not been disclosed at press time, and his identity was being withheld pending notification of his family.
This year’s event has also been affected by severe weather. Heavy rain on Friday (Sept. 4) temporarily closed the main entrance and exit gate, prompting organizers to ask attendees to delay travel and those already at the festival to avoid driving, according to TMZ.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-08 03:04:292026-09-08 03:04:29Second Festivalgoer Death Reported at Burning Man 2026
Forest Hills Stadium already feels like a kind of time capsule. Tucked inside Queens, its Tudor-style cottages and intimate village-like pathways create the sensation of stepping into a storybook hidden inside New York City. On Saturday night (Sept. 5), that atmosphere became the setting for Rauw Alejandro’s own living storybook: a three-act performance that moved from the Puerto Rican roots and musical influences that shaped him to the superstar he is now — and the artist he is still becoming.
The show — Red Bull Chapters featuring Rauw Alejandro — was initially scheduled for one night. After that date sold out quickly, a second performance was added for Sunday (Sept. 6), giving the event an unexpected momentum even before its first chapter began. It also marked Red Bull’s first Chapters project centered on a recording artist, following the brand’s long history of building platforms around athletes, action sports and culture — including its influential Red Bull Batalla freestyle competition.
That distinction mattered. This was not simply a Rauw Alejandro concert with Red Bull branding layered onto it. The production asked what might happen when Rauw’s theatrical concert language met the brand’s appetite for movement, risk and spectacle.
One day before the show, Rauw told Billboard over Zoom that the collaboration was intended to merge “the world of extreme sports, the world of sports, with the world of art and music.” He added: “It’s literally Rauw and Red Bull. It’s not like Rauw Alejandro and Red Bull separately — it’s a fusion between the two worlds.”
The performance made that fusion visible. Its three chapters were titled “Inspiration,” “Momentum” and “Legacy,” turning his career into a past-present-future narrative. Rather than treating his catalog as a straight chronology, the show presented his evolution as a series of leaps: from family, island and sound; to global momentum; to the risks required to keep moving forward.
Rauw Alejandro performs during the inaugural Red Bull Chapters at Forest Hills Stadium on Sept. 05, 2026 in New York City. Credit: Taylor Hill / Getty Images
Getty Images
Inspiration
The opening chapter began with images of the Caribbean Sea and the sun, accompanied by a narrated portrait of Puerto Rico as the place where mountains, ocean and city meet. The story connected Taíno, African and Spanish influences with salsa, reggaetón and rock — sounds that entered Rauw’s life through his grandfather, his own early ambitions and his father, guitarist Raúl Ocasio.
That history gained new resonance in Billboard’s interview, when Rauw spoke about growing up around his father and grandfather, both musicians. His grandfather was a trovador; his father played guitar, composed and introduced him to Elvis Presley, James Brown and other American oldies while salsa played in the family’s orbit. Rauw also recalled secretly buying his first reggaetón record as a child, at a time when the genre was not yet embraced by everyone around him.
“I grew up in an environment with a lot of musical variety,” he said. “I think that marked me a lot, and it’s reflected in my art.”
He opened the concert with “Santa,” his collaboration with Rvssian and Ayra Starr, dressed in a brown studded leather jacket, dark sunglasses and matching pants. After welcoming the audience to the inaugural Red Bull Chapters with him, he framed the night as an opportunity to share the experiences that had brought him to that stage.
The mood shifted between intimacy and showmanship. “2/Catorce” prompted a full-crowd singalong, while “Club El Calentero” lit the stadium in neon colors. In between songs, Rauw spoke about the uncertainty of inspiration — how a song can begin with a word, a melody or a rhythm that simply creates a feeling before its meaning becomes clear.
That idea became physical during “Tú Con Él,” his cover of Frankie Ruiz’s classic. Backed by a full band — including guitarists, a keyboardist and percussionists — Rauw delivered the song with an ease that made the homage feel less like a detour than a conversation between generations of Puerto Rican music.
The transition into the second chapter introduced the production’s most overtly athletic language. A skateboarding structure rolled onto the stage as performers in Joker-like helmets executed tricks with fire blazing behind them. Later, daredevil motorcyclists performed wheelies and other stunts while Rauw changed into a black leather look with a rocker edge.
The action was not confined to interludes. Extreme-sports imagery — snowboarders, ice skaters and surfers — flashed across the screens as Rauw’s live performance continued, turning athletic risk into a visual metaphor for the decisions that propel an artist from one era into the next. The production’s narration asked how someone holds onto the hunger that first fueled them, and what it takes to leap into the unknown without knowing whether they will fly or fall.
That idea also connected to the musical openness Rauw inherited from his family. “My father taught me to be more open and to listen to more music,” he told Billboard Español. “I grew up with a lot of musical variety, and I think that marked me a lot and is reflected in my art.” In the show, that variety took shape through genre shifts, live instrumentation and reimagined arrangements.
Cosa Nuestra remained important context rather than the show’s central subject. The album — and its 2025 follow-up, Cosa Nuestra: Capítulo 0 — established Rauw’s interest in theatrical world-building, New York’s Puerto Rican history and the relationship between tradition and contemporary urbano. Red Bull Chapters expanded that vocabulary by making the act of taking a risk part of the narrative itself.
The performance then accelerated into the hits and collaborations that defined Rauw’s global ascent. “Todo De Ti” and “Carita Linda” were among the night’s biggest crowd reactions, while the live band gave the songs a muscular, concert-scale energy.
Rauw also used the second chapter to address the Puerto Rican diaspora directly. “There are approximately six million Puerto Ricans outside the island, while Puerto Rico itself has only three million,” he told the Forest Hills crowd. “Puerto Rico needs us — the people who are there every day, but also those of us who are here.”
Acknowledging that returning home is not always easy for people balancing family, work and personal struggles, he urged the audience to stay connected to the island. “We can’t allow them to slowly take away our beautiful island and keep what belongs to us — our culture, our identity,” he said. “We have to take care of Puerto Rico together.”
Legacy
For the final chapter, Rauw emerged in an all-white leather look: ’70s-inspired pants, chains, a vest and aviator sunglasses, his reddish hair styled into another distinct character. The change was more than a costume shift. It signaled a move away from biography and toward possibility.
Tainy appeared behind the decks as Rauw called for New York to make itself heard, while Chencho Corleone later joined him for “Desesperados,” one of the evening’s most euphoric moments.
The final act primarily explored the future of Rauw’s sound through a more futuristic visual language and a freer mixture of reggaetón, R&B, electronic music and pop. The concert’s production continually opened new doors — new colors, new characters, new arrangements — without abandoning the physicality that has always made Rauw one of Latin music’s most compelling live performers.
That forward motion also echoed what he told Billboard Español about what comes next. Rauw said October will bring several collaborations, including artists from Puerto Rico and international acts, but that “2027 will be completely Raúl” — a year focused on his own next project.
Red Bull Chapters ultimately worked best when it treated Rauw’s career as an unfinished experiment. The show used the familiar ingredients of his story — Puerto Rico, New York, the Nuyorican diaspora, dance, theatricality, genre-crossing and an instinct for spectacle — but placed them inside a structure that made transformation the point.
At Forest Hills, Rauw was not just revisiting the inspirations, hits and eras that brought him here — he was demonstrating that every new chapter requires another leap. “I’m still in a creative process after Cosa Nuestra, which was a huge tour,” he said. “I’m taking my time to find that inspiration again, to keep studying and see what the muse tells me is next — which direction I should go.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-09-07 03:03:482026-09-07 03:03:48Rauw Alejandro Turns His Past, Present & Future Into a Three-Act Spectacle at Forest Hills Stadium: ‘2027 Will Be Completely Raúl’
