Month: April 2025

Yesterday (April 28), Beyoncé kicked off her Cowboy Carter Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The performance, which featured appearances by her daughter Blue Ivy and Rumi Carter, drummed up a heap of conversation before the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer even took the stage. Concertgoers theorized that a supposed Easter egg on a Cowboy Carter Tour t-shirt suggested Beyoncé is ready to roll out Act III.

On the stage, Beyoncé premiered a series of unreleased Cowboy Carter visual. Has Beyoncé released the visuals from Act I (Renaissance)? No. Is Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé available on any streaming service? No. Now, supporters are agonizing over yet another visual project from Bey that they can’t enjoy at home.

Despite it all, the Cowboy Carter Tour is on track to lasso up rave reviews. Continue below to view Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour setlist (according to Setlist.fm) and its remaining dates.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour Setlist

1. “Ameriican Requiem”
2. “Blackbiird”
3. “The Star-Spangled Banner”
4. “Freedom”
5. “Ya Ya”
6. “America Has A Problem”
7. “Spaghettii”
8. “Formation”
9. “My House”
10. “Diva”
11. “Alliigator Tears”
12. “Just For Fun”
13. “Protector”
14. “Flamenco”
15. “Desert Eagle”
16. “Riiverdance”
17. “II Hands II Heaven”
18. “SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’”
19. “Pure/Honey”
20. “Jolene”
21. “Daddy Lessons”
22. “Bodyguard”
23. “II Most Wanted”
24. “Cuff It”
25. “Tyrant”

Beyoncé’s 2025 Tour Dates: Cowboy Carter Tour

05/01 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
05/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
05/07 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
05/15 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
05/17 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
05/22 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
05/24 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
05/25 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
05/28 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
06/05 – London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
06/07 – London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
06/10 – London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
06/12 – London, UK @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
06/19 – Paris, France @ Stade de France
06/21 – Paris, France @ Stade de France
06/28 – Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
06/29 – Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
07/04 – Washington, D.C. @ Northwest Stadium
07/07 – Washington, D.C. @ Northwest Stadium
07/10 – Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes Benz Stadium
07/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes Benz Stadium

Today (April 28) Beyoncé launched her highly anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour. As fans of the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer lined up to enter Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium they noticed something rather interesting.

Outside in the Cowboy Carter Tour pop-up merch station fans believe they found a hint about Beyoncé’s future plans. One of the tee shirts (viewable here) exclusively sold at the show is marked with the count “2/3.”

Users online has theorized that the text refers to Beyoncé’s musical trilogy (2022’s Renaissance, 2024’s Cowboy Carter, and an unrevealed project). The numeric reference paired with the two stars on the long sleeve screen print tee, and the line “Cowboy Carter / Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit / Tour,” has now fueled the rumor that not only is Act III on the way–but it will be followed by a tour.

Beyoncé has not shared any updates regarding her next studio album. Still, her track record on the road has been consistent. Renaissance was released in 2022 and the world tour came shortly after 2023. Cowboy Carter dropped last year and its supporting tour kicked off today. Could this mean Act III will arrive next year? If so, Bey’s complementary tour would fall sometime in mid-2027.

No one knows for sure. The only thing we can count on is the Beyhive keeping a close eye on other Easter eggs surrounding the supposed rock album.

With co-signs from some of the world’s biggest entertainers (Kendrick Lamar, Will Smith, Doja Cat, and Lauryn Hill to name a few), Grammy Award win, and chart success, it appears Doechii’s hot streak can not be stopped.

While the “Anxiety” rapper has has released a flurry of music before her TDE debut, Alligator Bites Never Heal, most of Doechii fans caught on after “What It Is (Block Boy)” featuring Kodak Black gained viral traction. Ironically enough, according to songwriter Bianca “Blush” Atterberry, “What It Is (Block Boy)” was not originally intended for Doechii. It was actually penned with Normani’s solo album in mind.

“This record ‘What It Is’ was intended for Normani, said Blush in a TikTok video (viewable here).” “Me, J White [Did It], Verse Simmons and Fresh locked in. Label set it up — they wanted records for Normani. We all got together in the studio. We were locked in for like three days, and we got about six songs and ‘What It Is’ was one of them.”

The group “immediately knew” the track would make a splash. “We were like, ‘This is a smash. This is one of them ones.’ You just be knowing,” Blush chimed.

However, Normani and her team at RCA Records supposedly did not feel the same. “It was [not] something that fit her vision,” Blush said repeating back the conversation. “Which is normal. It happens all the time. Sometimes that’s just how this works… It’s not odd. It’s very normal.”

Blush then said after Normani rejected the track, it was a long while before they shopped it to another act. Eventually, they meet with Doechii who instantly vibed with it. “We heard it and absolutely loved it,” Blush continued. “We were like, ‘She’s out of here. She’s a star.’ Always been a star.”

It looks like the track ended up in the right musician’s catalog in the end.

Fresh off of her blockbuster performance at Coachella 2025, GloRilla back in the studio. While the “Let Her Cook” rapper’s debut studio album, Glorious, continues to rack up millions of streams online, GloRilla is already working on her full-length follow-up.

Today (April 28) GloRilla hosted a Spaces (live audio chat) on X (formerly Twitter). Although the conversation with fans started as an inspirational message to those dealing with jealous people, it ended with an update on GloRilla’s sophomore album.

“My next album…I’m working on [it],” she gleefully announced. “I can’t tell y’all exactly when its coming, what year its coming, but I’m doing something different.”

She continued: “Y’all know this was my golden year. When I turned 25 it was a golden year. If y’all didn’t notice I have been wearing a lot of gold. I’ve worn a lot of gold jewelry this year. Every award show…all tour I had on gold.”

However, moving forward GloRilla says things will change. “I will be stepping out of that era,” she added. “[I’m] stepping into a new era. I can’t tell y’all when it’s gonna be. But I’m excited for it and I hope y’all like it […] I’m in the studio. I’m always working.”

Fans hope her long rumored collaborative project with Megan Thee Stallion is released first.

Girls just wanna have fun, and on November 8 they will. On that day, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, The White Stripes, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, and Soundgarden will be formally inducted into the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

As the list was announced, Lauper and many of the other inductees shared statements of joy. For Lauper, this professional milestone is not only a ‘win’ for her but for women in music broadly.

“I’m humbled to be in the company of so many of my heroes,” she said in a note. “Aretha [Franklin], Tina [Turner], Chaka [Khan], Joni [Mitchell], Wanda [Jackson], to name just a few.”

She continued: “Women have made so many important contributions to music and to rock n roll and a win for one of us is a win for all of us. Thank you to the voting members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for this honor. And thank you to my fans for supporting me throughout my career. I could not do any of this without you.”

Back in 2023, Lauper’s name was initially entered into the that year’s nomination bucket alongside White Stripes, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Warren Zevon, George Michael, and Willie Nelson. Ultimately, she did not receive enough votes to make it into the 2023 class.

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 8. The event will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. But for those you can not physically attend, it will be broadcast live on Disney+ and aired on ABC and Hulu on a later date. Find more information here.

It’s been a great year for chicken sandwich fans. We’re not even halfway through the year, and we’ve already gotten Popeyes’ excellent Pickle Glaze sandwich, as well as Chick-fil-A’s delicious (and slightly healthy) Grilled Spicy Deluxe and the decadent and indulgent Smokehouse BBQ Bacon sandwich, each one delicious enough to be somebody’s favorite. Now, Wendy’s is stepping up to the plate with a potential home run with its new Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

Just on name alone, that sandwich is delivering us three of our personal favorite things: crunch, heat, and flavorful spices, so we were pretty hyped on this sandwich before we even tried it. With fast food more expensive than ever, it’s important to spend your money on the food that is truly worth it, and new menu items are always a gamble. So we took the risk for you!

Here are our thoughts on the Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich, and whether or not it’s worth your time and money. Let’s eat.

Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

The Cajun Crunch Chicken sandwich features Wendy’s spicy filet, pepper jack cheese, Cajun-seasoned fried onions, pickles, a spicy mustard spread and a leaf of romaine lettuce (spine intact), so aside from the sauce and fried onions, there isn’t much new about this sandwich.

But that sauce and onion combo makes a big difference in flavor. This sandwich features multiple layers of spice — first, you’re hit with a black pepper and cayenne pepper combo, before a sharp and tangy heat takes over, joined by notes of floral and smoky paprika that leave the palate with a light sizzle between bites. It’s a nice journey through nuanced spicy tones, rather than the blunt and direct flavor of the typical spicy Wendy’s chicken sandwich.

The mustard has a lot of depth, and really makes this sandwich come across as a lot more savory than we expected, while the onions add a nice audible crunch to every bite. The onions are battered and further seasoned with black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika, which add extra layers of savoriness to the already savory fried onion. It’s like an elevated take on onion rings — if Wendy’s wanted to sell these as a side item on their own, we’d gladly add them to every order! It’s hard to think of something on the Wendy’s menu that wouldn’t be improved by these little fried onions. Baked potatoes, burgers, chili — the possibilities are endless! All together, it’s incredibly satisfying to eat.

The Bottom Line:

Wendy’s Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich isn’t so delicious that it’s essential. It doesn’t warrant an immediate trip to Wendy’s, but it’s a delicious elevation of the brand’s regular spicy chicken sandwich, and is worth straying from your go-to order to experience.

Naturally, the success of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone is inspiring other streamers to pounce upon the neo-Western craze, and Netflix stepped up with a few candidates. One of those shows, The Abandons, has hit some [cough] bumps in the road but should arrive… someday. Whereas Ransom Canyon arrived this month with the streaming service now reporting that at least 56 million hours were streamed during the first week of release.

The series stars Josh Duhamel as rancher Staten Kirkland with Minka Kelly as dance hall proprietor Quinn O’Grady, and in a press release from Netflix, showrunner April Blair previously hinted at themes that appeal to Yellowstone viewers. “At its core, Ransom Canyon isn’t just a town, it’s an idea,” Blair divulged. “It’s the painful longing for your first love. It’s the burning desire to protect your family. It’s cowboys and lovers, grifters and thieves. Lust, deceit, heartache, home. Ransom has it all.” And this formula worked, but of course, now viewers wonder if there will be followup after Quinn departed town for a new job, and Staten was working through revelations about his son’s death.

Will There Be A Ransom Canyon Season 2?

Netflix has not officially renewed the series yet, although Blair did tell TV Insider that writing is already in process, should the show continue, and viewers will likely experience a six-month time jump because “Quinn needs to go away and save her ranch, and we need to see what the implications are for that punch that Davis goads Staten into doing and what that plot between Davis and Staten’s father, the senator, is like.”

Meanwhile, Garrett Wareing (who portrays Lucas Russell) revealed to TV Line that not only does he want to return, but “I’d love to skinny dip again.” Hmm.

Question: can you name the last original movie (i.e. not based on pre-existing material) before Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to make over $45 million during its opening weekend at the box office?

I’ll give you a moment while I think about the “surreal montage” again.

Answer: it was in pre-pandemic times, with director Jordan Peele’s second feature Us. Sinners actually surpassed another Peele movie, 2022’s Nope, to set the “biggest opening for an original film post-COVID” record.

Coogler is currently on a well-deserved victory lap, one that could end him with holding an Oscar, but what about Peele? It’s been three years since Nope taught everyone that monkeys and live studio audiences don’t mix — is he working on a new film?

When Is Jordan Peele’s Next Movie Coming Out?

Peele has his fourth film lined up, but there’s no plot details or even a title; it’s listed as “Untiled Fourth Film Directed By Jordan Peele” on Universal Studios’ website. There is, however, a release date: October 23, 2026.

“I do feel like my next project is clear to me,” Peele told host Conan O’Brien on a 2024 episode of the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast. “I’m psyched that I have another film that could be my favorite movie if I make it right.”

Until then, Peele is producing HIM, a mysterious sports horror film from director Justin Tipping (the trailer played before Sinners), and he’s also working with Death Stranding auteur Hideo Kojima on the new video game OD. It looks really weird — and potentially really good.

Nilüfer Yanya had one of 2024’s best albums with My Method Actor (according to the Uproxx Music Critics Poll) and now she’s already back with new material: Today (April 28), she unveiled the lush “Cold Heart.”

A press release notes Yanya wrote the track while she and creative partner Wilma Archer “re-approached” a collection of songs after touring in support of My Method Actor. Yanya also says of the song, “This one turned out pretty different to how I imagined it. The initial melody felt very spacious, like there’s room for anything to happen. It felt like a kind of experiment.”

Listen to “Cold Heart” above. Yanya also has some overseas tour dates coming up, so find those below.

Nilüfer Yanya’s 2025 Tour Dates

05/31 — Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival
06/01 — Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Festival
06/03 — Barcelona, ES @ Primavera a la Ciutat
06/06 — Turku, FI @ Kesärauha
06/13 — Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret
06/28 — Pilton, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
07/17 — Dour, BE @ Dour Festival
07/19 — Cluj-Napoca, RO @ Electric Castle
08/01 — Katowice, PO @Off Festival
08/03 — Waterford, IE @ All Together Now
08/05 — Vilnius, LT @ Lukiskes Prison 2.0
08/07 — Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West
08/08 — Oslo, NO @ Øya Festival
08/13 — Coura, PT @ Paredes De Coura
08/15 — Trondheim, NO @ Pstereo Festival
08/17 — Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival
08/23 — Bristol, UK @ Forwards Festival
08/24 — London, UK @ All Points East Festival

Stagecoach began as a country music festival and for all intents and purposes, that’s still what it is. At the top of the lineup, it’s hard to imagine a complete pivot from this identity, especially if country keeps producing genuine headliners to cap each night and drive tickets. Last year, they got one of the biggest stars in music period in Morgan Wallen. This year was a trifecta of highly relevant twangy superstars: newly minted stadium sensation Zach Bryan, multi-quadrant entertainer Jelly Roll, and Luke Combs coming off a crossover megahit with his Tracy Chapman cover, “Fast Car.”

And up and down the lineup, there was plenty more country from all types of backgrounds. Outlaw country had its hero in Sturgill Simpson. Koe Wetzel represented the rock and country intersection with a booming, chaotic set. The Brothers Osbourne gave the fans something more traditional and country-radio adjacent. There were even new, emerging stars like Shaboozey, Dasha, and Waylon Wyatt. And while you can’t generalize tens of thousands of people — many of whom haul out their lawn chairs and picnic blankets to bake in the sun and pound Twisted Teas as a yearly tradition — one thing was especially clear this year: people just really wanted to hear a song they knew.

Is that much different than any other concert? Yes and no. Sure, Coachella or Lollapalooza also buoy their events on familiarity. An act like Green Day can play wall-to-wall hits for nearly two hours, but that’s less what makes someone like Charli XCX or Fred Again.. or Chappell Roan festival sensations. They’ve got some songs people know, for sure, but they also have spectacle, big emotions, and underscored charisma in their corner as well. Traditionally, there is a diversity in kinds of experiences that are possible, with festivals serving as a sort of choose-your-own-adventure.

But this year’s Stagecoach continues a trend that’s been developing for years, by supplementing the country artists with lowest-common-denominator music that places ubiquity over taste. Diplo’s Honkeytonk offered everyone from Steve Aoki to Paris Hilton. Creed, Sammy Hagar, Nelly, Goo Goo Dolls, and Backstreet Boys all received plush slots, and a couple of the weekend’s most talked about moments, Lana Del Rey and Mumford & Sons, stretched the definition of country-adjacent so you’d have to squint to make it make sense. (You’d also have to squint to actually see them, as the choice to book them in the tent severely limited the amount of people who could actually enjoy these sets.)

This stuff all goes over incredibly well, and that’s something you can’t fault Stagecoach for. They know their audience and they aim to please, but there is also the feeling that it is coming at the expense of becoming a place for country music to thrive. The festival now plays by Karaoke Bar rules, where the center of the Venn Diagram occupies the meeting point of competence and barrier of entry. The Brothers Osbourne had a parade of country hits to employ, but nothing got the VIP section as riled up as their cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Walking around during Ashley McBride’s set revealed mild engagement turning into an arms-around-each other singalong as she busted out a faithful version of “Boys Of Summer.” I heard “Country Roads” multiple times. I heard a country version of “Crazy Train.” The more omnipresent the song, the more the beer-swigging audience responded.

No one embodied that idea more than Jelly Roll. A music success story that’s hard not to root for, Jelly Roll’s ascension to headliner slot on Saturday night was not taken lightly by the perfomer. When he wasn’t showing off his dance moves or waving to audience members like a Christmas pageant child to his parents, he was parading out a non-stop stream of guest performers showing off collabs and their own hits. MGK was there. So was BigXthaPlug. Plus Jessie Murph, Shaboozey, Lana Del Rey, Alex Warren, and Wiz Khalifa. It created a perfect storm of karaoke celebration vibes: Jelly Roll, errr, rolling out his hits while peppering in pervasive staples like “Black And Yellow,” “My Ex’s Best Friend,” and one of the songs of the moment,”Ordinary.” If ever a set was designed for the right vibe for the right crowd, this was it.

That’s not to say that some of the other marquee acts did anything wrong, it’s just more about whether they fit at Stagecoach in 2025. I’ve written about Zach Bryan more than I’ve written about any other musician in the last several years, as I genuinely believe he’s one of the most exciting songwriters to emerge in that time. And seeing him reach the spot of Friday night headliner was wonderful, and his gracious vibe and ripping band were on full display. Up close, you could see Bryan getting the most joy from seeing his best friends — his band — embrace the moment, strutting on the catwalk and interacting with fans. But if this was someone’s first time seeing Bryan, I’d encourage checking him out on his own turf, where fans scream back his words to him as he performs in the round. Bryan is at his best when he brings intimacy to massive spaces, and fans can only catch glimpses of that in the Stagecoach setting.

Speaking of ripping bands, Sturgill Simpson wins the award for the most musically impressive thing I witnessed over the weekend. My colleague Steven Hyden has written extensively about Simpson’s musicianship, the kind of no frills set that fits as easily in the rock and jam worlds as it does at Stagecoach. And while there were plenty of tipsy dudes entranced by the guitar solos and extended guitar solos, there were also plenty of people unwilling to meet Simpson in the moment. Fittingly, Sturgill began his set by dedicating it to Marty McFly. I couldn’t help thinking of McFly’s school dance performance in Back To The Future, the audience staring back at him blankly, and his iconic line: “I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it.”

Stagecoach manages to let Nelly and newly minted Grammy darling Sierra Ferrell exist as two sides of the same coin, though only one of those artists performed in a fantasy mushroom garden. It gives plenty of activities, from branded integrations like Amex’s interactive experience that included exclusive merch for cardholders and customized BÉIS bags to horse riding displays from local legends the Compton Cowboys. Guy Fieri does live interviews about barbecuing. Yellowstone takes over the same tent that 2Hollis performed in just a week before.

Early in his set, Jelly Roll talked about the set that was to come, saying that “all kinds of music is therapeutic.” If you’ve ever spent time in karaoke bars, you’ll find that to be true. It’s a place for people to blow off steam, be the center of attention for a moment, get the rush of putting themselves out there and then singing along and supporting the other performers. Broadway showtunes can exist side-by-side with classic rock. Radio country next to ’90s alt-rock. The only sin is playing something dull. Enthusiasm is sometimes better received than genuine talent.

And Stagecoach isn’t alone in figuring out this skeleton key. Festival culture in general seems to be moving to this same conclusion, where broad familiarity is more important than brand identity. Whether it is Bonnaroo or Coachella or Lollapalooza, most events are moving more to the center, less interested in their own perspective and more interested in pleasing the most people in the most general way. In a crowded market with economic uncertainty, who can blame them? Providing a space for people to hear the songs they know at the loudest volume possible still has value. But it might come at the expense of what truly distinguished Stagecoach in the first place.

Check out some exclusive photos of Stagecoach 2025 below.

Zach Bryan

Sierra Ferrell

Jelly Roll

Sturgill Simpson

Koe Wetzel

Shaboozey

The Brothers Osborne

Carly Pearce

Dylan Scott

Amex

Ashley McBryde