Music

Attorneys Ben Crump and Alex Hilliard have filed lawsuits on behalf of over 200 victims from the Astroworld tragedy, the two attorneys told reporters outside of Harris County Civil Courthouse on Friday. The duo have filed 93 lawsuits, including one on Friday on behalf of 90 plaintiffs.  Among those Crump is representing is the family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, who remains in critical condition after falling off his father’s shoulders and getting trampled during the crowd rush. Crump said Blount’s family didn’t have a further update on Ezra’s health beyond...

Jason Boland's new video is truly a one-of-a-kind artistic endeavor, and he's letting Taste of Country and the Boot readers see it first in an exclusive premiere that launches on Friday morning (Nov. 12).Along with his band, the Stragglers, Boland explores some unusual subject matter in the video for "Restless Spirits," and he does it in a very unique way, using animations to tell the story of an unexplained encounter that leaves the narrator changed."She was standing in the kitchen / Her face turned towards the ceiling / Her eyes...

Taylor Swift geared up to paint the town Red for her re-recorded Taylor’s Version drop at midnight on Thursday with a couple of late-night appearances. Her first stop was as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The audience was made up entirely of veterans in honor of Veterans Day, Fallon announced at the top of the show. Swift joined Fallon to play a round of “Box of Lies.” The game featured nine boxes with objects in it. They each then took turns describing what was in the box,...

At the CMA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 10), four-time Male Vocalist trophy winner Chris Stapleton and first-time CMAs performer Jennifer Hudson brought a packed house to its feet with their performance.Joined onstage by a dozen of world-class musicians, the vocal titans delivered a stratospheric and raucous rendition of "You Are My Sunshine."The duet was one of the highlights of the night, and for many in the audience, it called to mind another time when Stapleton was part of an unlikely CMA Awards team-up that led to one of the biggest...

Eric Clapton’s friends and collaborators discuss the rock legend’s anti-lockdown stance — and defend him against allegations of racism — in a new report. Following a string of anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown tracks, Rolling Stone detailed Clapton’s descent from just speaking about his vaccine skepticism to actually bankrolling it.  Clapton’s associates are similarly perplexed by his recent stance, with many labeling Clapton as largely apolitical. “He’s the anti-Bono,” Clapton’s former label manager Bill Oakes told the Washington Post. “He is the epitome of someone who is there for the music, and...

If you have a personal connection to someone in the military, talented singer-songwriter Roberta Lea's new song "Uniform" is guaranteed to make you emotional.The song, which Lea independently released on Veterans Day, is an example of expert storytelling inspired by personal life experiences. In a thread posted to her Twitter account, Lea explained the series of events that lead her to penning "Uniform.""A year ago this time, my father had a stroke and massive brain bleed," Lea wrote. "He was home alone for over 24 hours before someone found him...

John Legend has unveiled a new holiday single, “You Deserve It All.” The song was released to celebrate the singer’s signing with major label Republic Records. “I am excited to partner with Republic Records in this next chapter of my career,” Legend said in a statement. “Everyone at the label has been so wonderful to work with. I am thrilled to take this new artistic and creative journey with them and look forward to sharing new music with people soon.” “There’s just no one like John Legend,” added Republic Records...

During a period of struggle in Carly Pearce's life that included the sudden death of her producer Busbee, her divorce from fellow artist Michael Ray and a global pandemic that kept her off the road, the singer has said that country music lifted her up when she was at her lowest.On Wednesday night (Nov. 10), that continued to be the case, as Pearce walked away from the 2021 CMA Awards as its newest Female Vocalist of the Year. Backstage at the awards show, she explained that her win reinforced her...

“You shoulda known better to fuck with someone like me,” Avril Lavigne sings on “Bite Me,” her return single. “Forever and ever you’re going to wish I was your wifey.” “Bite Me,” Lavigne’s debut on Travis Barker’s label DTA Records, shows the Canadian musician harking back to her early pop-punk days on Let Go, released nearly 20 years ago. Except now, things have gotten a little more complicated. “And we’ll be together never,” she quips. “So baby you can bite me.” According to Lavigne, the track is “an anthem about...

Luke Bryan will host the CMA Awards for the first time on Wednesday night (Nov. 10). It's also the first time the CMA host has gone solo since Vince Gill did it nearly 20 years ago. He's ready, and loose enough to talk smack at his former ACM Awards co-hosts.The two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year referred to his past hosting experience when asked if he was nervous to fly solo."Blake (Shelton) and Dierks (Bentley) can’t ruin my moment like they used to," he quipped. Bryan and Shelton hosted the...

The night before the deadly Astroworld Festival in Houston, Darius Williams and dozens of other recently hired Contemporary Services Corp. staffers attended a five-hour orientation to work the ill-fated event as newly minted unarmed security staff. They were photographed, fingerprinted, and asked to take a state licensing exam for Level 2 security personnel that included questions about when physical force, even deadly force, might be a justified response, Williams says. “If you look at my resume, I only have hospitality and retail experience,” Williams, 32, tells Rolling Stone. “It felt...

Where you see Gwen Stefani, you'll usually find Blake Shelton, because the newlyweds — both stars in their own right — love performing together. Naturally, Shelton couldn't resist swinging by Stefani's last show during her Las Vegas residency to send her off in style.Stefani played the 57th run of her Just a Girl residency at the Zappos Theater located inside Planet Hollywood on Saturday night (Nov. 6). In addition to the her normal rotation of hits, fans were treated to a surprise performance of Shelton and Stefani's charming duet, "Happy Anywhere."Following the show,...

Billie Eilish stopped by Sesame Street to perform a new rendition of “Happier Than Ever” with the Count ahead of the show’s 52nd season premiering on Nov. 11. Eilish’s full episode doesn’t air until June 16. Perched on the front steps of a building, the 19-year-old singer croons: “When I’m counting with you, I’m happier than ever.” The Count joins in a moment later: “Numbers sound so much better.” Eilish comes up with a plan then: for the pair to count to two. With appearances from Bert, Two-Headed Monster, Elmo,...