Cam’ron and Mase’s It Is What It Is podcast has taken its fair share of shots at various athletes over the years, particularly NBA players like Jordan Poole and now, Anthony Edwards. Cam’ron targeted the latter with a few lines in a freestyle over the beat from Black Rob’s hit single “Whoa!” to open the latest episode.
Decked out in a Dallas Mavericks jersey (heh), Cam goes in on the 22-year-old NBA star, rapping, “Go ‘head and grandstand, no style can cramp Cam’s / P**** on a handstand, but f*ck wrong with Ant Man? / Gave him his props, homie got love from me / New commercial, y’all ain’t got love for me? / He shot a jump shot and said, ‘f*ck buddy’ / The receipt reader lookin’ like your f*ck buddy.”
So, what’s got Cam’s knickers in a twist? It seems Ant’s Adidas ad rubbed him the wrong way with its use of one of Cam’s tweets to make a point about Ant proving his haters wrong. The ad includes a printer for Edwards’ “receipts,” which spits out tweets from various celebrities questioning whether the young Minnesota Timberwolves guard is ready to be “the face of the league.”
The tweets are read to Ant by a friend as he takes practice shots, and when he hears that Cam’ron says he’s “an All-Star, but not a superstar yet,” Ant indeed gives a dismissive response and chucks another jumper. The ad’s being celebrated for its simplicity and directness, but clearly, not everybody appreciates Ant’s unfiltered demeanor.
Anyone who’s spent any time around hoopers knows that many of them — especially the best — are crazy petty and take anything less than unadulterated adulation as the saltiest criticism, so his response isn’t exactly surprising. But for the past 25 years, Cam’ron has been an equally petty performer in his own industry, so his response shouldn’t surprise anyone either.
But before anyone goes taking this super serious and demanding guns drawn at dawn, try to remember: it’s all in good fun. Talking sh*t is part of these guys’ livelihoods, so they both know there’s no ill intent. And if/when they see each other at the next All-Star Game, it’ll probably be all love.
You can watch Cam’s freestyle (and his explanation for the clap back) at the top of the episode above.
On a cold February day this past winter, an “immersive” Willy Wonka exhibit was hosted in a warehouse in Glasgow, which already sounds risky enough, but nobody knew that the events of that day would permanently alter John Stamos’ IMDB page forever.
The unofficial event was expected to have candy, colors, and some good old-fashioned family fun, but families were met with the exact opposite. The ordeal quickly made the rounds on the internet, so it was only a matter of time before a musical about it was made. Who knew it would be so soon, though?
A live musical titled Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical,is in the works, and a demo of one of the songs featuring John Stamos was released today. Clearly, all those years of Beach Boys hangs has impacted him positively.
The opening number traces the downfall of civilization back to the infamous event in Glasgow, obviously. “After playing Willy Wonka in concert at the Hollywood Bowl, I was happy to join in when that event’s director, Richard Kraft, asked me to record a demo of the opening number to his upcoming stage show, Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical, spoofing the Wonka rip-off fiasco in Glasgow,” Stamos said in a statment. “Any opportunity to sing a batsh*t crazy song about The End of Days and to be pelted by candy is something to savor,” he added.
The number features lyrical gems like “Having no fudge meant humanity’s judgment” and “the world was wiped clean thanks to two jellybeans” so you can get the vibe they are going for here. Music and lyrics for the title track were written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The musical is set to debut at Edinburgh Fringe Fest at the Pleasance King Dome from Aug. 9-26th. Check out Stamos’ track below:
The Boston Celtics have been the most consistently good franchise in the NBA since 2017. No team has gone as far in the postseason as often as Boston over that period, as they’ve reached the conference finals seven times in eight years and sit four wins away from adding another championship banner to the TD Garden rafters.
Despite all of their recent success, this version of the team has come up short in its quest to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. Boston has lost five times in the Eastern Conference Finals and, in its one previous trip to the Finals, the team lost in six games to the Warriors after taking a 2-0 series lead. As such, the Celtics have been the victims of their own consistency in terms of how people talk about them. There was nothing they could do in the regular season to answer the questions many skeptics had about them as a team, and with the way the Eastern Conference playoffs shook out — all three teams they faced had stars go down due to injuries — there wasn’t anything they could do in the first three series, either.
Celtics fans have bristled at the way the team and its stars have been covered this year, feeling overlooked and underdiscussed given they had the league’s best record. The real problem for Boston is that no one had any doubts about whether they’d be one of the East’s best teams. That’s been the case for nearly a decade. Every question about this team and every interesting conversation to be had about them from an outside perspective could only really happen once they got to the NBA Finals.
After last year’s stunning ECF loss to the Heat, the Celtics went about reshaping their roster. Kristaps Porzingis was added to give them a different dynamic offensively late in games, while providing much-needed rim protection on the defensive end. Jrue Holiday’s sudden appearance on the trade market offered a perfect opportunity to recoup what was lost on defense in trading Marcus Smart, while adding another facilitator on the offensive end. The results in the regular season were excellent, as evidenced by a 64-win campaign. That’s continued through the first three rounds of the playoffs, as they’ve dropped just two games en route to the Finals despite Porzingis missing the last two rounds due to injury.
However, beating banged up versions of the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers isn’t the kind of run that changes anyone’s perception of this team. That they had to scratch and claw their way through some of those games, particularly against the Pacers, only adds to the skepticism of some that this Boston team is really all that different.
The way we talk about playoff paths often revolves around beating other stars. Last year’s title run by the Denver Nuggets saw them face two 8-seeds, a 7-seed, and a 4-seed, but they had to beat Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo to get to the mountaintop. Beating those players and doing it in fairly emphatic fashion eliminated any of the chatter about the difficulty of their road to a title.
The Celtics — who, it must be said, have put up a better net rating (10.8) through the first three rounds of the playoffs this year than Denver did through the first three rounds of their run to the title (8.0) in 2023 — haven’t had that same opportunity just yet. The Heat were without Butler, the Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell by the end of that series, and the Pacers had Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the final two games, while all three teams had other injuries (Terry Rozier, Jarrett Allen, Bennedict Mathurin) to prominent rotation players, as well. The truth is, you play who is in front of you, and Boston deserves credit for not letting those series drag out longer than they needed — even if they played with their food at times in all three series. That said, anyone with questions about this Boston team won’t be sold just yet.
So, here we are at a place where, 96 games into their season, the Celtics have seven games to finally put to rest any skepticism. Boston will have a worthy opponent for the first time all postseason in the NBA Finals as they meet the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving provide the star power to create a fascinating matchup with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Dallas defense has been the story of the playoffs, with the Mavs becoming a dominant force on that end.
Boston will get the chance they’ve been waiting for all series to quiet the doubts — both internally and externally — about whether they can win a championship with this group. They built the team with this stage in mind, and have tried desperately to prepare themselves. Their series with the Pacers saw them win three tight games, building that confidence in their late-game execution — even if, at times, it felt that Indiana collapsed down the stretch. Tatum has been a willing facilitator, making the right reads when teams send help at him. Brown has been dynamic as a scorer, offering a needed lift as teams have looked to limit Tatum’s looks. Derrick White has been a tremendous third option, giving the team needed floor-spacing around their stars and offering secondary creation when asked. Holiday is in the midst of the best shooting postseason of his career, while also providing the stout defense we’ve come to know from him. All of this has happened while Porzingis, who has been outstanding this season, has watched from the bench.
Now, the real test arrives in the form of a Mavs team that presents some major challenges for Boston. In the same breath, it’s an opportunity to prove that all the work from last offseason to now has truly created a new Celtics team that isn’t just a flawed contender, but a complete championship squad.
Dallas has thrived in the kinds of late game situations that have caused the Celtics problems in the past, and if they’re to win this series, one would expect it would be because they show this is no longer an issue. On defense, they’ll be tasked with solving the riddle that is Irving and Doncic, who have been sensational this postseason creating for themselves and others. Those two play off each other brilliantly and have kept defenses off kilter with the way they’ve been able to strike a balance between their play styles. Doncic, plodding and methodical, picks apart defenses, while Irving slashes through them.
There is no stopping Dallas’ stars, and even making life difficult isn’t always enough, as they’re two of the best tough shot-makers in the NBA. The real challenge will be staying disciplined and not creating easy buckets for the others by over-reacting to Doncic and Irving making difficult shots. A big that wanders too far out to help will get punished by a lob over his head to Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II. A wing that lingers in help for too long will get back cut to death by Derrick Jones Jr. The addition of Porzingis back into the lineup will be vital, as his length and rim protection is a must against this Dallas team, and he will know better than anyone how Doncic looks to pull bigs into no-man’s land to render them useless.
Boston will likely look to test Jones Jr. and PJ Washington as three-point threats, which is probably the best strategy, but if they get hot, will the Celtics be willing to adjust? Or will they risk a similar fate to last year’s Miami series, when they insisted the Heat’s shooters couldn’t keep hitting threes? Joe Mazzulla has always preached patience and a trust in the team’s system and approach, but in a 7-game series, small-sample outliers are enough to swing the result. With one playoff run already under his belt, his ability to recognize when he needs to be adaptable will be critical.
On offense, the Celtics face a Dallas team that has walled off the rim throughout their playoff run. Boston will bomb away from deep, of that we can be assured, but how they create their three-point looks will be determinative in whether they’re successful or not — the Mavs have been pretty good at taking three point attempts away from opponents, too, as they’ve allowed the sixth-fewest per game during the palyoffs. Tatum, Brown, and White must be able to beat the Mavs at the point of attack to get into the paint and kick out to open shooters, rather than settling for swinging the ball around the perimeter into hurried, late-clock shots over contests. Porzingis’ re-entry into the lineup also should help add stress to Dallas’ defense, forcing Gafford and Lively to step outside and make tough choices on helping down low or sticking with Porzingis as a shooting threat. With how well Holiday and White have shot, Jason Kidd would be taking a major risk if he put a big man on one of them with the hopes that they could help in the paint and leave either of those two open.
The advantage Boston has that Dallas’ last two opponents haven’t is their secondary on-ball creation. The Wolves and Thunder were heavily reliant on a single shot-creator in Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, respectively, and the inability of a consistent secondary on-ball threat to emerge was a large part of each team’s downfall. The Celtics should present more issues for the Dallas defense in terms of being able to move the ball and attack the Mavs in rotation. Tatum’s willingness and ability to make the right read quickly against doubles and aggressive shows of help will need to continue, as will the decisiveness of Brown, White, and Holiday to go quickly when the Mavs defense is even slightly out of shape.
The Celtics will have to embrace the physicality of the matchup, as Dallas has thrived on defense under the officiating adjustments that have allowed for more contact in the second half of the season and the playoffs. That was a similar tactic used by the Heat to disrupt Boston’s preference of a beautiful, flowing offense, dragging them into the mud and tempting the Celtics to embrace their worst instincts to try and play in isolation.
For all the discussion about Boston’s easy path to the Finals, a win over this Mavericks team would be an accomplishment worthy of any championship squad. That won’t stop all of the chatter, of course, but it should quiet it from reasonable minds. To hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, they’ll have to overcome many of the challenges that have tripped them up in the past, and the 96 games prior have been preparation for this seven-game final examination that will define their season as a success or failure.
Residencies are not a new concept. For a long time, Las Vegas was the hub of such activities, usually as artists saw their cultural impact wane but could still pack a house based on past hits. Why not post up in place with warm, dry air for your aging lungs, favorable tax laws, and a constant influx of tourists looking to spend money before they lose it gambling?
These are attractive propositions for both artists and fans. For the former, it has reduced risk of a Covid outbreak halting travel plans, and also lets the artist sidestep all the other aspects of travel that can affect performances. Anyone who leaves their home city on vacation can imagine how much harder it is to do your job when you are sleeping in transit, hopping timezones, and eating whatever is near the venue or on the way to the next city. In a world that’s becoming more aware of mental health sensitivities, residency performing seems the most inline with what can keep artists in the best headspace possible.
Likewise, it also provides destination events for fans of the artist, particularly for those that don’t live near a major city that’s typically on tour routes. This was definitely the case in Los Angeles over the last couple weeks, when indie icon Joanna Newsom announced a run of dates at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Waiting in line to enter — a line that even celebrities couldn’t bypass, as Beck, John C. Reilly, and Courtney Barnett all patiently endured — I struck up a conversation with a young woman visiting Los Angeles for the very first time. She’d only planned to stay for one day, less interested in literally anything else the city had to offer than a night with Joanna Newsom.
Inside the venue, the audience couldn’t have been more respectful, attentive, and reactive. And while the residency atmosphere and the artist’s fanbase played a part, the scarcity of Newsom performances in general added to the reverence. These were the first headlining dates that Newsom had performed since before the pandemic, and her enthusiastic fanbase treated them with such honor. On this night — the final performance of the run — Newsom and her two bandmates (Fleet Foxes’ leader Robin Pecknold and former Dirty Projectors’ vocalist/current solo artist Amber Coffman) donned Electrical Audio jumpsuits in honor of Steve Albini, who recently passed away and had worked with Newsom on past projects.
The residency appeared to serve multiple purposes. It was a chance to try out new material from what one would expect to be an eventual 5th album. Newsom performed five new songs on this night, which at first listen felt like a slight shift back towards the Have One On Me warmth. Several songs seemed to reference motherhood and/or children, which makes sense as Newsom has had two children since she last released an album. When these songs might see the light of day as recorded works remains to be seen, but as a fan of her previous work, it was enough for me to eagerly anticipate the additions to her oeuvre.
The second function of the residency was something a bit more experimental. Though most of the shows were traditional performances with old and new songs woven together — our night saw marvelous new three-member arrangements for classics like “Baby Birch” and “Peach, Plum, Pear,” as well as glorious solo takes on “In California,” “Sawdust & Diamonds,” and “Go Long” — she also performed a series of “Kids Shows” as matinée sets over the couple-week residency. These events required that you bring a ticketed kid to attend and saw Newsom performing with puppets, covering songs from The Muppets, and incorporating some of her most kid-friendly originals. It’s a pretty novel idea that would likely only come from a new mom, someone who has seen how parenthood can upend the ability to attend cultural events that you’d enjoy, much less stuff suitable and enjoyable for the whole family. By all accounts, it was quite the scene.
But I keep coming back to the feeling of being in that room for the concert, where people hardly took out their phone and erupted in rapturous applause after each song’s conclusion. In an era noted for people’s loss of public manners — thankfully, no one threw anything at Joanna or tried to film with their flashlight on — this felt, well, like concerts are supposed to feel. Focused, appreciative, and, ultimately, special. And this is the ultimate hope that comes from the concept of a residency, where artists and fans can be at their most comfortable, and the pacing of the world can slow for a much-needed moment and catch its breath.
USA Network’s Suits aired its last episode in September 2019. Nearly four years later, the Meghan Markle-starring series became a streaming sensation on Netflix, which will finally soon be including the show’s ninth season in its back library. Additionally, a continuation series, Suits LA, has been fast-tracked by NBCUniversal with a new cast and entirely unfamiliar crop of characters. Now, however, viewers also want to know whether a movie will happen with the original cast, and it sounds like they are game.
At least, Patrick J. Adams (who portrayed Mike Ross) indicated as much when quizzed during this last week’s ATX Television Festival. Adams admitted that he “has no power or authority” over whether a movie might happen, but if it does, then “yes,” he is totally in. He continued via Entertainment Weekly:
“Obviously there’s the Suits: LA show that is being made, that is the focus of Aaron, I think he would agree, but it’s definitely something he’s interested in doing in trying to get the band back together. It’s going to depend on a million things if that can happen, but is it possible? I think it is possible.”
Well, the audience would be there, and several of Adams’ ex-co-stars (including Sarah Rafferty, Amanda Schull, Dulé Hill, Abigail Spencer) were also on hand and presumably game. No Gabriel Macht in attendance? That’s right. However, Adams can also soon be seen in an upcoming Netflix series called Lockerbie, which is described as follows (via Deadline):
Lockerbie will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the U.S. and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the drama takes us right up to the most recent indictment at the end of 2022.
Lockerbie doesn’t have a release date yet, but 2025 is likely.
Monáe headlined the 2024 OUTLOUD Music Festival on Saturday, June 1, in West Hollywood Park as part of WeHo Pride 2024. During their set, Monáe brought out Gabrielle Union and Queen Latifah. “I want my sisters out here,” Monáe said. “We gonna walk this runway together. Legends. Legends. Period.” Latifah and Union flanked Monáe down the runway, and then all three danced it out for the cheering crowd. “I love you,” Monáe said twice, pointing at Latifah and Union. “We love you. Say y’all love ’em!”
(((( I love us and this so damn much )))),” Monáe later wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a fan-taken video of the moment. “Happy PRIDE!!! [rainbow emoji, smiling face with hearts emoji, heart on fire emoji, silver heart emoji, lipstick emoji] @itsgabrielleu @IAMQUEENLATIFAH.”
Although summertime is often associated with festival season, there are also plenty of artists doing their own tours. Those artists may have some festival appearances scattered throughout their itineraries, but the sunny weather is a solid incentive to open up the outdoor amphitheaters and arenas for some memorable live music, fest or not. From Missy Elliott’s first-ever headlining tour to the indie-rock fan’s dream combo of The National and The War On Drugs, check out the most anticipated summer concert tours of 2024.
21 Savage
The London-born, Atlanta-bred rapper 21 Savage has been touring North America since May 1, but he has several arena and amphitheater dates left on the American Dream Tour. That includes stops in Southern cities like Tampa, West Palm Beach, Birmingham, and, of course, Atlanta. He’ll be joined by J.I.D, Nardo Wick, and 21 Lil Harold.
Over the years, Big Thief has become one of the most known names in contemporary indie rock. Frontwoman Adrianne Lenker, as her tour agenda showcases, has become wildly popular in her own right. Following her recent solo album, the sparse, somber Bright Future, Lenker brings opening act Twain along for a slew of dates, many of which are sold out, starting June 9 in Austin.
Bryson Tiller
Louisville vocalist and songwriter Bryson Tiller recently released his self-titled album back in April. He is currently touring behind it, and it continues through nearly all of June. Along the way, Tiller will make stops in cities like Nashville, Minneapolis, New York, Atlanta, and more.
Since her 2022 debut album, the dark, sprawling Preacher’s Daughter, Ethel Cain has steadily ascended through the ranks to become a pillar of indie-pop. Cain has hinted at new music here and there, but for now, she’s going to keep touring. That resumes with a North American tour this month following a slate of European dates. Her new schedule includes appearances at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Summerfest, Hinterland, and others.
Future / Metro Boomin
We Still Don’t Trust You unwittingly became the catalyst for the most fruitful hip-hop beef in recent memory when Kendrick Lamar dissed Drake and J. Cole during his guest verse on “Like That.” Future and Metro Boomin themselves have mostly stayed out of it — relatively, at least. After all, they do have a massive tour to focus on. The duo kicks things off in Kansas City on July 30 and wraps it up in Vancouver on Sept. 9.
Green Day
The Saviors Tour will travel across the globe, in which Bay Area pop-punk trio Green Day will perform their most iconic albums, 1994’s Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot, in full to respectively celebrate their 30th and 20th anniversaries. For select dates, they’ll bring along Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas.
Gunna
Gunna is a fixture of Atlanta rap, and he’s taking that idiosyncratic ATL style all over North America plus a small handful of European dates for The Bittersweet Tour. With opener Flo Milli, the YSL affiliate will visit cities like Miami, Orlando, and, obviously, Atlanta.
Janet Jackson
The queen of new jack swing, Janet Jackson, will embark on a large North American tour starting June 4 in Palm Desert, California. For last year’s tour, she brought Ludacris along as her opener, and this year, she’s bringing St. Louis rapper Nelly. The Together Again Tour will make stops in Anaheim, Salt Lake City, Denver, St. Paul, and plenty more cities.
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko announces tour dates for ‘The Magic Hour Tour.’
From the middle of June to the end of August, Los Angeles R&B mainstay Jhené Aiko will tour North American arenas with openers Coi Leray, Tink, and Umi in tow. It kicks off at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on June 19 and wraps up at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena on Aug. 22.
Justin Timberlake
Earlier this year, Justin Timberlake released Everything I Thought It Was, his first studio album since 2018’s folk-tinged Man Of The Woods. To promote the new record, he’s currently on The Forget Tomorrow World Tour. It includes stops in cities like Tulsa, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and many more.
Khruangbin
The Houston instrumental trio Khruangbin recently released A LA SALA, an album that leans into the group’s psych-pop proclivities. They’re touring behind it all summer in both Europe and North America, and joining them will be openers Arooj Aftab, Men I Trust, John Carroll Kirby, and Peter Cat Recording Co.
Lizzy McAlpine
Back in April, singer and songwriter Lizzy McAlpine released her third studio album, Older. She’s celebrating its release with a summer tour that takes her all the way from Washington, D.C. to Sydney, Australia and back to the States. McAlpine has a busy summer ahead of her, but that gives you plenty of chances to catch her show.
Megan Thee Stallion
Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion is bringing the Hot Girl Summer Tour all over the globe. It’s currently underway, having stopped at cities like Minneapolis and Baltimore and will soon head to places like New Orleans, Dallas, and Meg’s very own Houston. Joining her will be Memphis rapper GloRilla.
It’s hard to believe that someone as influential as Missy Elliott has never done her own headlining tour before. That is, until now. Alongside friends like Busta Rhymes, Timbaland, and Ciara, The Out Of This World Tour will start on July 4 in Vancouver and conclude on Aug. 22 in Rosemont, Illinois, right near the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. This is certainly a show you won’t want to miss.
Mitski
Having wrapped up a slew of European dates, Mitski is headed back to the States in August to tour behind last year’s excellent The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We. She’ll usually be doing multiple nights at sizable theaters, such as three nights at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre and two nights at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theatre. Joining her will be openers Arlo Parks, Lamp, Laufey, Alvvays, Wyatt Flores, Sharon Van Etten, and Sierra Ferrell, depending on the date.
Odesza
Odesza is a go-to festival headliner for many booking agents, and it’s easy to understand why. Their seismic strain of EDM is perfect for big fields and arenas alike. They embark on The Last Goodbye Finale Tour with openers Big Boi, Bob Moses, and more in tow, performing multiple nights at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium, Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, and NYC’s Madison Square Garden along the way, as well as a hometown-adjacent run at The Gorge.
Olivia Rodrigo
If you managed to secure tickets to Olivia Rodrigo’s highly anticipated arena tour for her sophomore album, Guts, then count yourself lucky, as it’s completely sold out. She’ll spend June touring Europe before she returns to the U.S. with drum and bass/indie pop enthusiast PinkPantheress in July.
Pearl Jam
Eddie Vedder and co. have just released Dark Matter, their first album since 2020’s ill-timed Gigaton. To support the new record, they’ll perform all across the globe; the tour has currently taken them to Europe, and they’ll head back to the U.S. toward the end of August with opener Glen Hansard.
Mexican star Peso Pluma is headed to the United States later this month for a string of arena shows and festival appearances. The Exodo Tour will take him to Governors Ball in New York as well as his own shows in cities like Tampa, Oklahoma City, Houston, Kansas City, Omaha, and plenty more.
St. Vincent
In late April, Annie Clark released her latest album as St. Vincent, the entirely self-produced All Born Screaming. After a brief stint in Europe with Heartworms, she’ll tour all over the States with openers Yves Tumor, Dorian Electra, Spoon, and Eartheater for select dates.
Tate McRae
Canadian pop artist Tate McRae will take the world tour for her most recent album, Think Later, to North America starting this July. She’ll be performing in various amphitheaters with opening act Presley Regier. Her latest string of dates kicks off in her hometown of Calgary on July 5 and wraps up in New York on Aug. 22.
Taylor Swift
Cultural behemoth Taylor Swift is ready to stimulate some more local economies. The Eras Tour continues through Europe with openers Paramore all the way through late August. Fresh off the release of the messy, sprawling The Tortured Poets Department, 2024’s iteration of the tour now merges the Folklore and Evermore eras into one. But it also features a new set solely dedicated to TTPD.
The National / The War On Drugs
Indie dads rejoice! The National and The War On Drugs, as you’d expect, have a lot of overlap in terms of fandom. They’re both massive, beloved indie rock groups that always put on a spectacular show. Their co-headlining tour, dubbed the Zen Diagram Tour, will take them all over North American amphitheaters this September. Joining them is opener Lucius. Ahead of that, The National have a ton of dates this summer as they weave across Europe.
The Rolling Stones
Last year, The Rolling Stones put out their first studio album in seven years, Hackney Diamonds. Although it won’t be the same without core drummer Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger and the gang still put on an excellent show. They’ll tour all over stadiums, including stops in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and more.
Tomorrow X Together
K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together have a few more tour dates left to play this summer. Whereas May took them primarily to cities on the West Coast, such as Los Angeles, Tacoma, and Oakland, this month’s stops include Rosemont, Washington D.C., and New York City.
Usher
As this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show demonstrated, Usher is a one-of-a-kind performer. Now that he has finished his Las Vegas residency, he’ll kick off a run of sold-out arena dates starting with three nights in his hometown, Atlanta, on Aug. 14. It’ll run all the way through the end of November, with the three final U.S. dates in Houston.
Vampire Weekend
Following a few festival sets in May, indie-rock outfit Vampire Weekend will play North American arenas and outdoor theaters all summer long. Touring their latest album, Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend will take Ra Ra Riot, Cults, Mike Gordon, La Lom, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram on the road before heading to Europe in December.
Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan has quickly risen to fame as one of the most popular new left-of-center country artists. To capitalize on that quick ascendance, the Okalahoman alt-country songwriter will tour North American arenas for the rest of 2024. The Quittin Time Tour includes openers Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours, Sierra Ferrell, The Middle East, Levi Turner, and Matt Maeson.
Things reached a fever pitch this weekend after Clark’s Fever got a close win over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Clark had made clear she felt she was getting “hammered” and not getting the calls she deserved coming into the game, and then late in the third quarter she got knocked down from behind by Sky guard Chennedy Carter waiting for an inbound pass.
Here’s an extended look at the Caitlin Clark – Chennedy Carter incident, there was more to it than the shoulder check and Clark was clearly talking to her on the way back up the floor from the prior basket by Indiana pic.twitter.com/1XG1RyzTw4
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 1, 2024
That foul sent the Clark discourse even further into the deep end, with seemingly everyone having an incredibly strong take on how Clark is being treated by her fellow WNBA players and whether it is fair or not. That discussion arrived at the First Take desk on Monday, where things got heated as Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Monica McNutt discussed the incident, with McNutt closing the conversation by calling out Stephen A. for not discussing the WNBA at this level until this year.
Stephen A. Smith: “Who talks about the WNBA, who talks about women, who talks about women’s sports more than First Take?”
Monica McNutt: “Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to.”
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 3, 2024
Smith was taken aback by McNutt’s comments and seemed legitimately upset about them, even if McNutt is absolutely correct. The WNBA may have been touched on by First Take in the past, but it certainly did not get A-block territory nearly as often as it has this year. McNutt, like many longtime followers of the WNBA, is clearly frustrated by the lack of tact around the discussion of the league right now, and was willing to do what few do on Smith’s show, which is to give him a call out on air.
After a spinoff of The Office was first announced, the first question of everybody’s mind was “will Brian the boom guy return too?” We still don’t know. But the second question was something along the lines of “how are they going to make a show about a paper company in 2024?” which is a pretty valid ask.
Luckily, creator Greg Daniels knows that nobody wants to watch a failing paper company anymore, so instead, the spinoff show will take place at a failing Midwestern newspaper. Why not! It’s topical.
While the show is still some ways away, we are finally getting some more details, including the potential name. According to the official Writers Guild of America directory, the show is tentatively titled The Paper, which would align perfectly with the plot, while also giving a nod to the original series’ love of paper. This could also be a working title, so it is subject to change.
The Paper is expected to begin production this fall with original Office showrunner Greg Daniels on board alongside Nathan For You‘s Michael Koman. The cast so far includes Ex-Machina‘s Domhnall Gleeson and The White Lotus‘ Sabrina Impacciatore.
The upcoming spinoff does not have a release date, but here is the official logline: “The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters.”
While Steve Carell probably won’t stop by, Rainn Wilson isn’t opposed to showing up at some point. “I love the idea that they’re trying to do an Office spinoff not in Dunder Mifflin, not with the same characters but a documentary crew following a different workplace. That’s a great concept,” Wilson said earlier this year. “Sure, if Dwight Schrute shows up at a newspaper in the Midwest then I’m there,” But still no word from boom guy Brian. We will be anxiously awaiting his comment.
Over the weekend, Halsey reportedly sent physical letters to fans that teased a new era is inbound. Simultaneously, a website called “For My Last Trick” appeared, showing various mysterious icons and objects. Click a movie ticket labeled “The End,” and the letter digitally unfolds, as transcribed below:
“Original Draft 1/7/71
Hello, it’s Halsey. It’s been a while.
As you may have guessed, I have written a new album. But I needed some time to figure out how to say what I needed to say. You see, I’ve been holding [redacted] and I need to let it out.
There’s so much I am going to reveal on this record, but you need to know some of the story first. So before the chaos and confetti of big singles and album releases, I just need to tell you, my friend, why it all matters this time. I’m releasing a new song on June 4. It’s just for us.
Let’s start at THE END.”
Courtesy of Halsey via ForMyLastTrick.com
Some of the other phrases, which are suspected by fans to be the album’s track titles, on the website include “Satisfaction Always,” “Woman Out For Blood,” “Master Mystifier,” “Southern Belle,” “Candy,” “Peril Is My Pay,” and “I Have Something To Tell You.” If you click on “I Have Something To Tell You,” a sign-up form pops up requesting your name, email, and address.
It’s also worth noting that the website features a paper tag of sorts with June 25, 1977 written on it, so could June 25 be another significant release date? Seems likely!
| WEBSITE UPDATE:
A new sticker appeared and plays a strange sound when you click it.
In May 2023, Halsey wrote on Tumblr that she was “hard at work,” and they were in “album mode.”
“Wild to think that it hasn’t even been 2 years since IICHLIWP!” Halsey wrote at the time. “I know it feels like so much longer. It does to me too. But there were 2 years and 7 months between HFK and Manic and honestly I think it was worth it. The time I took. And the growth that got me from that album to the next. Thank you for having the patience and the faith. It will pay off in the long run. This feels like my debut all over again, in some ways.”
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”OUT OF THIS WORLD”TOUR 
| Halsey on H5: