Fans of the Gorillaz have much to be excited about as the group announced its upcoming North American tour beginning on September 11 in Vancouver. There are 21 set dates spanning across the United States and Canada, finishing up on October 23 in Miami. Earthgang and Jungle will join them on select dates (from September 11 to October 19 for Earthgang, then on October 21 and 23 for Jungle).

This announcement comes in the midst of Gorillaz’s world tour throughout Europe and South America, generating much excitement as this is its first stateside tour since 2018. Gorillaz last release came in 2020 with Song Machine: Season One, Strange Timez (Deluxe). The band is recognized by the Guinness Book Of World Records as the planet’s Most Successful Virtual Act.

Check out the full list of Gorillaz’s tour dates below:

09/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/12 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
09/14 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
09/17 – Las Vegas, NV @ Life is Beautiful Festival
09/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
09/21 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
09/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
09/30 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/01 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/03 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/05 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/06 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
10/08 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
10/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
10/17 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
10/19 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheater
10/21 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/23 – Miami, FL @ FTX Arena

Gorillaz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox division within Microsoft, is used to seeing a game delay or two at this point. While Microsoft has been buying up as many studios as it can, it unfortunately hasn’t been putting out quite as many games as they’d like. Obviously game development takes a long time and by giving their development studios the time to work on these projects without crunch they’re getting some major hits such as Psychonauts 2 and the revival of Halo. It feels like Microsoft is taking the standpoint of letting their studios take as long as they need to make a game as long as it’s polished and meets quality standards.

While this is a great methodology for developers and studios because it can help prevent crunch settings and result in better games, it does have the adverse effect of creating a lot of delays. Psychonauts 2 had an extremely lengthy development cycle, Halo Infinite was delayed over a year, and now Bethesda’s Starfield is being delayed alongside Redfall. Fans were really not happy about these delays, especially Starfield since that was first announce back in 2018, and fans of the Xbox are growing frustrated with its games constantly being delayed. Enough people showed frustration about it that Spencer chose to make a statement about Xbox’s most recent major delay, on Twitter.

While nobody wants to see bad games on the Xbox, they would like to see a more consistent release schedule for its games. Xbox owners are in a really good place with the huge library of games currently available on Game Pass, but a lot of the games on that service right now are third-party developed, which means both PS5 owners and PC owners can also get those games. If someone bought an Xbox Series X at launch, they don’t really have a whole lot of games to justify that purchase at the moment. So seeing games like Starfield get delayed that was supposed to be a major part of the gaming calendar is really frustrating for someone who owns an Xbox. It makes sense why there’s been enough frustration that Spencer would have to respond to it.

2021 was kind to Masked Wolf, as the Australian rapper saw his 2019 single “Astronaut In The Ocean” experience newfound popularity and shoot up the charts around the world, including in the US where it was a top-10 song.

Like many artists before him, traveling and performing was a major part of the rapper’s come-up. So now, Masked Wolf looks back and reflects on some of those experiences for “Stories From The Road,” a video series presented by Songkick and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

He spends part of the video explaining why supporting an EDM DJ in a small Sydney, Australia club was an ideal first live performance, saying, “I was crapping myself; I was so scared, I was anxious. And these people just danced to anything. I was doing ‘Vibin” and [they] had never heard it before and they were just enjoying life. And I was just like, ‘Man, I hope my performances, all of them, are like this.’ People were just vibing to any song and just enjoying their night.”

He also talks about his dream tour destinations and the moments that make him think he’s “made it,” so check out the video above.

Masked Wolf is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

One of the wildest details to come out of the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is the Aquaman actress allegedly leaving “human fecal matter” on Depp’s side of the bed. “It was so outside, it was so bizarre, and so grotesque that I could only laugh,” the Pirates of the Caribbean star said. Depp’s long-time “executive chauffeur and security guard” called it “a horrible practical joke gone wrong,” but Heard stands by her assertion that it wasn’t human poop in the bed; it belonged to one of their dogs.

“What if any issues did Boo have with bathroom problems, if you will?” Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, asked her client on Monday (haven’t poor Pistol and Boo suffered enough?). She replied, “She had eaten Johnny’s weed when she was a puppy and had bowel control issues for her entire life, among some other issues, we regularly had to take her to the vet. She had some control issues.” When asked if the poop was a prank, Heard answered, “Absolutely not. First of all, I don’t think that’s funny. I don’t know what grown women does. I was also not in a pranking mood, my life was falling apart.”

Heard testified Depp abused her the night before.

“I had just been attacked on my 30th birthday by my violent husband with whom I was desperately in love and knew I needed to leave. It was not really a jovial time and I don’t think that’s funny, period. That’s disgusting,” the actress added.

“Huge narcissist” Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for allegedly defaming him in a 2018 op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post describing herself as a victim of domestic and sexual abuse. The trial continues later on Monday.

(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)

Let’s cut to the chase. If you haven’t seen Paul McCartney live before, go see him. Please. Heck, even if you have seen him before, go see him again. If you need someone to give you a reason why, think of it as going to see the Grand Canyon or Michelangelo’s David in Florence. No matter what you think the experience will be, actually being there in their presence, with all five senses taking in the moment, is precisely the thing that makes being alive worth it. Paul McCartney is Yosemite or Banff or the Eifel Tower. He’s music’s greatest national park, its remaining 7th Wonder Of The World.

Macca will turn 80 years old in about a month. But you wouldn’t know it in Los Angeles on Friday night. Performing in front of a packed SoFi Stadium that just hosted the Super Bowl, he made his way through 36 songs over the course of 2.5 hours of music. He didn’t take many breaks, occasionally slowing things down to tell a story about one of his old friends John or George, or thanking director Peter Jackson for cutting some Get Back footage for the tour. As someone with parents near his age, or as someone with a President also near his age, seeing what McCartney can still do on stage is miraculous. For someone with as much timeless music in his catalog, no one ever expected he’d also become timeless as a performer.

But while I can go over the many highlights of the show, from the pyro spectacle that accompanied “Live And Let Die” (the heat warmed up the stadium’s floor section so much, I was legitimately worried about the former Beatle) to his memories of the civil rights movement inspiring “Blackbird,” there were few moments that didn’t feel special. And particularly following a strong couple of years for McCartney-led musical endeavors (aside from the Disney+ Get Back film taking over social media for a week last year, there was his recent McCartney III solo album, reissues of RAM and Wild Life, and a collection of his lyrics, appropriately titled THE LYRICS: 1956 to the Present), the evening’s presumed nostalgia still felt as relevant as possible, as one of the world’s best living songwriters is still finding ways to connect to fans and keep his work in the cultural conversation.

On this night, though, I often found myself looking around, away from the stage. The joy that permeated the massive stadium (which, though I have been for a few football games, I have to acknowledge SoFi is also a pretty great sounding and comfortable location for a big show, instantly placing itself as the area’s best option for the size) was unmistakable and contagious. I saw a pair of grandparents walking in their young child of maybe six years old, with the kid gleefully excited and quizzing their elders about the times they had seen Macca previously. Another kid next to us knew the lyrics to Beatles songs better than I did. A security guard for the show was next to me in line for merch, buying up t-shirts for his family, clearly not treating this like another day at the office. The influencers were out taking selfies with Paul performing in the background, while another person in a wheelchair couldn’t help but swerve his device through the aisles to the music, swept up in the songs and dancing the best way he knew how.

There is a bit of melancholy involved with the concert, too. And maybe that’s what really highlights the beauty and joy of McCartney in 2022. From his wife Linda to his producer George Martin to his old bandmates John and George, Paul McCartney has lived to see many of his closest friends and loved ones pass on. And while he gave many of them their shine and paused for audience applause, he also seems to know that the best thing he can do for their legacy is continuing on, playing these songs for tens of thousands, living a life that honors all those that have lived closely with him.

The Grand Canyon is 6 million years old. The sculpture of David has been standing for more than 500 years. And McCartney is nearing 80, with some of his songs having been heard for more than 50 years. These things are all eternal, as much as anything is; as long as there are people to witness them, they will still exist. But we, the audience, have a finite time. If the last few years of the pandemic have taught us anything, it’s how fleeting this time can be, and how much we take it for granted. So don’t waste YOUR time. Go experience these things while you can. Especially Paul.

Amazon already previewed The Boys‘ introduction of ripped (but exhausted) Jensen Ackles in a Season 3 teaser trailer. Naturally, we saw many other new developments, including Billy Butcher gaining Supe powers and Homelander (still completely screwed-up) sourcing his milk fetish in a dubious new way. The show also gave a glimpse of the musical episode on the way, but don’t expect anything wholesome from this show, and this new Season 3 trailer is here to reinforce that vibe, at least for the coming season.

Naturally, the way that the head-exploding show teased this trailer’s arrival is on point.

Yep, this show won’t calm down anytime soon. After all, this season will deliver the “Herogasm” episode, and Chace Crawford has already admitted that he wondered whether he’d work again after what The Deep does in this third installment. And the trailer begins with Homelander (as expected) obviously not being in a good place after the last season finale’s events, which left him yanking his own chain from atop a skyscraper, with god only knows what effects after that stuff headed to Earth’s surface. He’s never been sane (or safe), but somehow, he’s even more off his rocker than usual while launching into a media redemption tour. It’s hard to imagine him being even more of a loose cannon than he already was while leaving an entire plane of people to die, but Homelander seems keen to one-up himself.

His number could be up, too, what with Queen Maeve finally having enough from him and helping Butcher gain those Supe powers. As promised, this trailer also raises questions about Ackles’ Soldier Boy and Payback:

Long story short, Soldier Boy’s arrival could help introduce another group of Compound V-powered Supes called Payback. They’re led by Soldier Boy (who’s a riff on Captain America), and in the comics, Stormfront factored huge into the group. However, viewers will recall that Stormfront was reduced to a blabbering as a burned-up mess (due to Homelander’s kiddo really letting her have it) in the Season 2 finale and was assumed to be out of commission forever. Will that assumption stick in the TV show? No clue there, but in the comics, Payback directly antagonizes The Boys, and Butcher’s ready for them. Not only that, but Payback members are all failed previous candidates to join the Seven, so if they factor heavily into the season, expect the umbrages to be real.

The Boys are back (that’s obligatory phrasing) on June 3.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Post Malone, and more.

For all longtime readers, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Armon Sadler and I’ll be taking this column over. I’m extremely excited to bring you all the best new hip-hop every week, and hopefully, I can put you on to some good stuff.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending May 13, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Kendrick Lamar’s long-awaited return comes in the form of an 18-song double-disc, though slightly shorter than the double discs we have experienced in the past. His TDE farewell, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers boasts features from Blxst, Summer Walker, Sampha, Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, and more. Lamar opens up about therapy, father issues, having relations with the other sex, and much more in his latest offering.

Blac Youngsta — 4Life

The Memphis rapper returns with his third studio album, loaded with car-rattling production, humorous yet cocky bars, and energetic features as per usual. 21 Savage especially shows out on “Nobody” and 42 Dugg on “Threat.”

Leikeli47 — Shape Up

Leikeli47 brings big energy and bars galore to her third studio album, with the sole feature of Miss J Alexander. Shape Up is led by “Chitty Bang, ” “BITM,” and “LL Cool J” but “Secret Service” may be the standout out of everything present.

Quelle Chris — Deathfame

Quelle Chris brings his soulful rapping and love for lo-fi production back outside across Deathface‘s 14 tracks. Pink Siifu, Navy Blue, and more join the lyrical exhibition as well.

Lil Eazzyy — Too Eazzyy

Chicago spitter Lil Eazzyy came through with a 10-piece this week. He is as menacing as ever, adding NLE Choppa and Shoebox Baby to the mix just to ensure they aren’t taken lightly either.

Cantrell — Beware II: The Clowns Perform EP

Cantrell provides a buffet of records in the new EP Beware II: The Clowns Perform. Popular journalist Rob Markman, Vada Veli, and Retro Landy add their own flavors to Cantrell’s second iteration of the Beware series.

Singles/Videos

Lil Baby — “Dark Mode”

Lil Baby said he already got his Rookie of the Year award and now he’s ready for his MVP in the new black and white video “Dark Mode.” What makes the bars hit even harder is who stars in the visual powered by Beats By Dre: Memphis Grizzlies sensation Ja Morant, a fellow Rookie of The Year recipient. The two take turns grilling the camera and practicing their jump shots as the “We Paid” artist delivers his usual impassioned,

Reason — “Churchill Downs Freestyle”

TDE’s Reason popped out this week with his take on Jack Harlow’s “Churchill Downs” featuring Drake, a standout record from his sophomore album Come Home The Kids Miss You. Reason spoke on how he’s drinking water and partying less, losing brothers, fighting trauma from his father, and he doesn’t engage with Geminis anymore. Though he’s isolating 1/12 of his fanbase with such a statement, surely his core is happy to hear from the artist and anticipating more music.

Kota The Friend — “Up”

Kota The Friend sounds determined as ever, proclaiming he’s going up over an illustrious church organ and simple drums. His flow molds itself easily to the mid-tempo anthem bursting with confidence.

Dreezy ft. Coi Leray — “Balance My Lows”

Dreezy and Coi Leray trade melodic flows reflecting on the ups and downs of life in “Balance My Lows.” Through it all, they keep winning and have much to celebrate in this fun record.

Rick Hyde ft. Rome Streetz — “Poza”

Rick Hyde and Rome Streetz bar up over The Alchemist’s signature production on “Poza.” It’s too easy for two seasoned pros like them, especially when given such an alley-oop of a beat.

King Combs ft. Dreamdoll — “Gas You Up”

King Combs’ affinity for flipping classics continues, as he taps Dreamdoll for “Gas You Up.” The upbeat bop samples Lil Mama’s “Lip Gloss,” maintaining the same tempo to recapture that 2007 feeling and simply add a modern spin. Combs and Doll list all of the great qualities of the objects of their affection, saying it’s only right they gave them such praise. Depending on marketing, this could do something in the summer.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Geeks are back, have you heard? They didn’t really go anywhere but…Netflix announced that Geeks are back, so Geeks are Back! For its second annual Geeked Week, Netflix will be giving first looks and behind-the-scenes teasers for some of their highly-anticipated projects in the works. It seems like the term “geek” is pretty loose here. Here is the official description:

Netflix’s Geeked Week is back on June 6-10 with its five-day live virtual fan fest. The event will celebrate Netflix’s genre slate with exclusive news, sneak peeks, talent panels and more from our genre films, series, and games. Join us for Geeked Week everyday June 6th – 10th

Some of the projects include Resident Evil, Umbrella Academy, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Of course, there is an entire day dedicated to Netflix’s favorite child, Stranger Things, which drops its fourth season next week.

There will also be a first look at the highly-anticipated adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman starring Tom Sturridge as Dream and Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. There were also some quick glimpses at Shadow and Bone, Sweet Tooth, Gray Man, First Kill, and plenty of others. Perhaps The Geeks will be the ones to save Netflix, since they have been having some trouble keeping their dedicated fans happy as of late.

Check out the trailer above. Geeked Week takes place virtually from June 6th-10th.

It’s a great time for emo. My Chemical Romance, who infamously broke up in 2013, just released “The Foundations Of Decay,” their first song in years, and now 90s icons Sunny Day Real Estate have announced their long-awaited reunion tour. Rumors of this circulated earlier this year, plus the band was on the lineup for Riot Fest and Furnace Fest; this tour, though, goes over the whole country and features fellow cult-followed emo group The Appleseed Cast.

The tour begins in Lawrence, Kansas in September and ends in Seattle, Washington at the Moore Theatre. The band lineup retains the same vocalist, guitarist, and drummer, but not the original bassist. Check out the full dates below.

09/13 — Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
09/14 — Omaha, NE @ The Admiral
09/17 — Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest*
09/18 — Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
09/20 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
09/22 — Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
09/23 — Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
09/24 — Birmingham, AL @ Furnace Fest
09/26 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
09/27 — Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Cleveland
09/29 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
09/30 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
10/01 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
10/03 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues
12/03 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
12/04 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
12/06 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s
12/07 — Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
12/08 — Dallas, TX @ Studio at The Factory
12/10 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
12/11 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory SD
12/12 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
12/14 — San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
12/16 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
12/18 — Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre
* no the Appleseed Cast

Find ticket information here.

The Phoenix Suns played their worst game of the season on Sunday night, which was a bad time to do so considering it was Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. They now will head into their offseason trying to figure out what could’ve been and what needs to happen for them to get back to the NBA Finals next year.

Their biggest decision has to do with Deandre Ayton, who is a restricted free agent after they would not give him a max extension this offseason, and Ayton’s benching after 17 minutes of play in Game 7 only raised questions about his future in Phoenix. However, not retaining Ayton would leave a massive hole in the middle, so barring a sign-and-trade, it’s hard to imagine the Suns would just let him walk. Of bigger concern is how old Chris Paul suddenly looked after turning 37 after Game 2 of the series, as the combination of Mavs ball pressure with the work the Pelicans made him do in the first round appeared to catch up with him quickly.

The team is built around the idea that they have two elite shot creators with he and Booker, but Paul was not able to find that same gear in the series — with it being reported after Game 7 he had a nagging quad injury. Paul will turn 38 next postseason, and it’s fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank. If you ask some around the league, like longtime foe Patrick Beverley, he’s already cooked, as Beverley went to New York on Monday for ESPN’s Get Up! and went scorched earth on Paul, yelling about how he can’t guard and is a “cone” on defense, to the dismay of Stephen A. Smith.

Any time someone can leave Stephen A. speechless, it’s an impressive television performance, and Beverley very clearly enjoyed the opportunity to get these Chris Paul takes off his chest.

He doubled down on that take later in the show when opposite JJ Redick, saying Paul should’ve been benched instead of Ayton since he was getting attacked over and over, with Redick noting that if Beverley had a point, particularly if Paul was going to be as passive as he was on offense.

Beverley isn’t exactly an objective voice when it comes to Chris Paul, so I’m not sure you can quite take him as the unquestioned voice of other NBA players here, but his critiques, while presented with an added flair here, are valid and he’s certainly not alone in believing this. Paul’s defense has certainly waned and, particularly for Luka Doncic and the Mavs, he was the target on that end of the floor and their willingness to go at him over and over seemed to wear him down over the course of the series to where he was unable to hold up.

However, Beverley wasn’t done with his performance, as he, Smith, and Redick took it over to the First Take studio across the hall and he had more material in the bag, this time bringing Paul George into the fold by saying they were talking last night about how no one was scared of the Suns.

It’s good to know that Beverley is as much of an instigator in the TV studio as he is on the court. However, it’s objectively funny that he and Paul George, two players eliminated from the playoffs currently, were commiserating over how they wanted to play the Phoenix Suns in a playoff series that they never got to because they were, again, eliminated before having that opportunity.