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Season four of Stranger Things had one fan-favorite character who inspired several viral internet trends and even made long hair cool again, and his name was Eddie Munson. Unfortunately for fans, Munson was never able to graduate high school and was killed after a particularly gruesome battle with a bunch of demon dogs, but not before shredding one last legendary guitar solo. It’s the best way to go, considering. But the fans aren’t really letting it go anytime soon.

Despite his untimely demise, it seems like he might get one more storyline, this time in the form of a prequel novel. Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is the upcoming novel from author Caitlin Schneiderhan, who is also a writer for the final season of the Netflix series, so you know it’s going to be well thought out and not just the type of fan fiction that ends up in TikTok edits.

Flight of Icarus will drop on Halloween, and take place two years before the events of season four. According to the plot description, the story will follow Eddie as he gets a chance for his band to secure a record deal…as long as he raises enough money. Who among us hasn’t had to scheme a little bit in order to make it big in the music industry? It happens!

Schneiderhan told EW: “The Eddie Munson we meet at the beginning of Stranger Things 4 is the protective shepherd to the nerdy lost sheep of Hawkins High. But taking on that mantle wasn’t such a cut-and-dry decision,” the author explained. “I’m so excited for fans to go with him on his journey towards becoming a hero, to experience the messy and uncomfortable decisions that led him to become the brave misfit we all know and love.”

As for Joseph Quinn, Munson’s real-life counterpart, the actor said he would “love to” return to Hawkins, but it would be hard since Eddie is really, truly dead. But you know what will never die? Rock and roll, baby!

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Time magazine unveiled its annual “100 Most Influential People” list today, April 13. The cover stars are Doja Cat, Michael B. Jordan, Jennifer Coolidge, and Bob Iger. But within the artists’ section of nominees is also Steve Lacy.

Chloë wrote Lacy’s entry, as found on Time‘s website:

“What I admire most about Steve Lacy is that he’s always himself — a good person who loves to make music. In a world where everything’s so contrived, he just wants to nerd out and be free, and that makes him a force to be reckoned with.

From his performances onstage to his clothes to his lyrics, he’s open to expressing what’s real. That’s why people gravitate toward him so much, because in a time when everybody’s trying to be what other people want them to be, he’s saying, ‘I’m gonna make music — and if you like it, that’s cool.’ He has inspired me to be fearless, to trust that whoever my music is meant for will find it.

He has the biggest, warmest smile. And he reminds me that you don’t need to have all the bells and whistles to make good music. What you need is yourself, your ideas, and your heart.”

Chlöe has adopted Lacy’s unbothered attitude during the rollout of her debut solo studio album, In Pieces, culminating in her displaying nasty comments people have tweeted about her as part of her set design on the first night of her In Pieces Tour.

DannyLux is charming fans around the world with his sad sierreño songs, as the rising Chicano star is putting an alternative twist on the age-old Mexican genre. After scoring multiple hits and receiving a co-sign from Coldplay, DannyLux will have a full-circle moment at Coachella this weekend. The Desert Hot Springs native is one of the Latin performers on the line-up this year.

“When I was growing up, I would always hear people say, ‘Oh, there’s traffic because it’s Coachella weekend and all these artists are gathering,’” he recalls. “I remember I would always want to go. It’s such a sick feeling that my first time going is going to be for me performing.”

DannyLux is leading the new wave of Gen-Z musicians on both sides of the Mexican-US border who are redefining corridos and sierreño music for a younger generation. After gaining momentum on TikTok, he landed a big hit in 2021 with “Jugaste y Sufrí,” a collaboration with Eslabon Armado. As the sole songwriter of the emo breakup song, he reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Songwriters Chart, pushing Bad Bunny to the runner-up spot.

Last year, Coldplay handpicked DannyLux to open for the band’s Music Of Spheres World Tour in dates across Mexico. He also signed with Warner Music Latina and released his breakthrough album Perdido En Ti. In between rehearsals for Coachella, DannyLux talked with Uproxx over Zoom about Latin representation at the festival, his performance, and what’s coming next.

How do you feel to be performing at Coachella this year?

It just feels like such a big blessing, and honestly, I just feel so honored to be alongside so many other talented artists. It’s crazy because my dad, he used to work for a company that would pick up the trash. They would book him to pick up the trash at Coachella. It feels so sick to be able to take my dad back to Coachella, but this time he is going to be backstage with me.

What can we expect from your performance?

Honestly, these performances are probably going to be the most energetic ones we’re doing. We’re putting screens in the back. We have visual effects. We have surprise guests. It’s going to be sick.

What do you think about Bad Bunny making history as Coachella’s first Latin headliner?

I feel like it’s such a sick thing because it kind of represents the whole Latin community. It just goes to show how far we can actually get to. It’s so sick to be even be playing at the same place as him. It’s an honor.

We’re also seeing more Mexican and Mexican-American acts like yourself, Becky G, Bratty, and Conexión Divina on the line-up this year.

I feel like it’s such a beautiful thing to see how much our community is slowly taking over. We’re slowly coming up and it’s such a sick feeling to be a part of that. I’m going to be looking out for them.

Where did the idea come from to create these sad sierreño songs that you’re known for?

A lot of people ask me, “Why Spanish music? Why regional Mexican music if you were born here in the United States?” I feel like regional Mexican music and Latin music in general, you can add so much emotions to it. Obviously in English music you can too, but Spanish to me is just such a romantic language. Maybe a phrase that you say in Spanish doesn’t really hit the same in English.

When you opened for Coldplay in Mexico, did you get to talk with the band?

That was such a sick conversation. They heard about me because one of the heads of Warner just told them about me and they really liked my story and that’s how they thought about me to open up their shows in Mexico. They were just telling me stories of how they started. It was sick! We literally loved it.

What inspired you to dabble with bachata music in your song “El Hombre Perfecto”?

I wanted to make a song that people could just dance to. I’ve been listening to a lot of bachata. Literally any song you listen to [in that genre] just makes you want to dance. The rhythms that they have and everything. I just wanted to do my own take on bachata.

What can you say about your upcoming single “Te Extraño y Lo Siento”?

I wrote this song a while ago. I feel like there’s so much emotion in this song. I really hope people enjoy it. There’s just so much that I put into that song.

What can we expect from your next album that you’re working on?

I’m putting so much emotion into it. There’s so much effort going into all these songs, so much production, and so much everything. It’s going to have 15 songs and each song has their own vibe. I feel like if you don’t like one song on the album, you’re going to for sure like another vibe that I added into the album. I just wanted to add a little bit of everything.

Who do you want to collaborate with next?

I really want to do a song with Maná. That’s still like my dream collaboration right there. I would love to collaborate also with Rawayana. They’re like all geniuses. I don’t know how they come up with all those songs. I literally listen to their songs like everyday. Whenever I’m driving, I just put on their songs and it just fits the vibe.

What do you want to achieve with your music?

More than anything, I want to inspire people. I want to reach a certain level where everybody knows who I am. I want people to be like, “Your music really helped me,” or “It’s because of his music that I’m doing what I love to do as well.” I just want everybody to know that literally anything is possible. That you can do anything.

DannyLux and Coldplay are Warner Music acts. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

You’d think after blind taste testing 62 different dipping sauces across a 40-piece order of chicken McNuggets that I’d be tired of fast food. But nope, I’m still here! Sure, I never want to touch another high-fructose-pumped dipping sauce in the immediate future, but I still ride hard for the drive-thru food. But around nugget 37 of that endeavor, I got to thinking. Does McDonald’s make the best chicken nugget in the fast food universe? After so many nuggets and dipping sauces, I really wasn’t sure anymore.

So in an effort to investigate, I decided to put the mighty McNugget to the blind taste test by pitting it against five other fast food classics. Since I was immediately burned out on McNuggets and I wanted to give them a fair shot, I took a one-week break from all things fast food and all things fried. For the last week, I’ve been eating salads, a whole lot of hummus, grilled meat, and rice bowls and now after a full seven days, I’m ready to dive back into the fast food pool!

So I grabbed nuggets from some of the biggest fast food chains, donned my trusty blindfold, and got to tasting!

Part 1: Chicken Nugget Tasting Methodology

Nuggets cool down at a faster rate than cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches. If you’ve followed our blind taste tests this year, you’ll know that I’ve been obsessed with making sure I can try all the food as hot as possible in order to come to the fairest conclusion. So for this blind taste test, I hit up three fast food chains in close proximity and sent my girlfriend to hit up another three so we could meet up back at home at roughly the same time without the food suffering the dreaded cooldown. For six different chains and seven different chicken nuggets, I think we did a pretty good job, each of the seven nugget orders was warm to hot.

Here is our tasting class:

• Burger King — Chicken Nuggets
• Carl’s Jr — Chicken Stars
• Chick-fil-a — Chicken Nuggets
• Jack in the Box — Chicken Nuggets
• McDonald’s — Chicken McNuggets
• Wendy’s — Chicken Nuggets
• Wendy’s — Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Since a few of these nuggets could be instantly identified, I donned my blindfold and had my girlfriend bring me a plate of nuggets at random (all photos were taken by her). For the most part, I had no idea which nuggets I was eating, though the chicken stars and spicy nuggets were admittedly easy to pick out. Here were the results.

Part 2: The Chicken Nugget Tasting

Taste 1:

Tasting Notes:

Wendy’s Spicy Nuggets! I know these are the spicy nugs because they are noticeably spicy. After a single bite, my palate was ignited with a strong cayenne pepper kick. It’s a really pleasing experience and for some reason, I find it more enjoyable with the blindfold. After the initial kick, the flavor finishes with a prominent black pepper flavor. The nugget is crispy and has a great mouthfeel, a real winner.

Taste 2:

Tasting Notes:

This one is strangely flavorless. Did the spicy nuggets burn my taste buds off? I took a few sips of water and ate another nugget but still nothing. I like the texture a lot, the breading is very light, airy, and crispy as if the chicken was dredged in cornstarch. Unfortunately, that crispy outer is the only good thing about this nugget. The chicken itself is strangely spongey and kind of wet. Despite not tasting like much, the wet meat really grosses me out.

Taste 3:

Tasting Notes:

A bit buttery and very tender, but the outer coating seems soggy to me. That’s not a time issue, these nuggets are still hot, but there is no crisp here. The flavor is fine, but it kind of feels like wet styrofoam in my mouth.

Taste 4:

Tasting Notes:

This one is strangely dusty, I feel like little granules of breading are separating from the nugget. My hand was dusty with crumbs after this one, and the texture was a bit dry but I like the flavor. It’s black pepper forward and the chicken is tender and very easy to chew threw, it almost melts in the mouth.

Taste 5:

Tasting Notes:

Significantly denser than any of the other nuggets I’ve had so far, but still tender. I’m getting a much meatier bite here and there are little tendrils of fried breading that give off a satisfying snap, but it’s not a consistent experience. I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not. On crispiness, it’s middling, but flavor-wise it’s in a whole other class. I’m tasting onion and garlic powder, pepper, something earthy, and the slightest hint of peanut. Really delicious.

Taste: 6

Tasting Notes:

Oh, these are the chicken stars. I can tell as soon as I picked one up. These are kind of strange, they have a bright buttery flavor and a great heavy breading that provides a lot of texture, but it’s impossible to eat these without being just a little grossed out. I know most nuggets are a blend of chicken meat, but no other nugget makes it more obvious than this one. Still, I kind of like them. I have a weird relationship with this one.

Taste 7:

Tasting Notes:

Another starchy, airy, and crispy batter. There is a certain flatness to this nugget, it has flavor but it desperately calls for sauce. I can’t believe I’m saying that. The dominant flavor here is salt and cheap chicken with a hint of white pepper. It tastes like what you expect a nugget to taste like, it’s not bad by any means, but it does make you wish you could just eat a chicken tender instead.

Part 3: The Chicken Nugget Ranking

7. Jack in the Box Chicken Nuggets — Taste 2

The Chicken Nugget:

Jack in the Box has had an issue with its chicken for a while. The brand has been mixing things up and changing its recipes and unfortunately, not for the better. I’m not sure what the worst thing about this nugget was, the fact that it was essentially flavorless, or the weird wet texture. Whatever it was, it made this nugget far and above the worst.

The Bottom Line:

If you want a nugget that is all texture (wet) no flavor, go to Jack in the Box.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

6. Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets — Taste 3

The Chicken Nugget:

It’s weird to me that Wendy’s offers two very different nugget experiences, spicy and boring. Why would anyone choose boring? I’m not saying that spicy food is always better, but when you’re dealing with chicken nuggets you’re dealing with cheap processed meat, and spice makes all the difference! In addition to the boring flavor, this nugget came across as too soggy. Maybe I got a bad batch, but that sounds more like Wendy’s problem, not mine.

The Bottom Line:

A fine-tasting but ultimately boring chicken nugget with a soggy coating.

Find your nearest Wendy’s here.

5. Burger King Chicken Nuggets — Taste 4

The Chicken Nugget:

Look at Burger King landing in the middle of the list! I’m always dunking on this brand, so I’m proud of it for not coming in last place. These were the strange dusty nuggets. Weird texture aside, I really like the black pepper-forward flavor. They were also surprisingly tender, almost melting in the mouth. Okay, this is the nicest I’ve ever been to Burger King so I’m just going to end it here before I say something really crazy and give my editor the idea to make me taste-test the whole menu.

The Bottom Line:

Burger King’s nuggets are dusty but delicious. Okay maybe not delicious, but very good.

Find your nearest Burger King here.

4. Carl’s Jr Chicken Stars — Taste 6

The Chicken Nugget:

Yeah, I know, it’s weird to rank Chicken Stars this highly but what can I say, I like the flavor! I can just imagine these bright-tasting heavily battered nuggets dunked in BBQ sauce and if any chicken nugget can bring me back to the idea of using dipping sauces, I can’t complain. While the star shape is disturbing, the crunchy texture makes it all worth it.

The Bottom Line:

Chicken Stars are weird, but fun. You can bite off each leg of the star one by one and turn the nugget into a shape that feels less weird to consume. Who doesn’t love food you can play with?

Find your nearest Carl’s Jr. here.

3. McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets — Taste 7

The Chicken Nugget:

The ‘ol classic, the McNugget has a really nice airy texture and an interesting blend of seasonings that tastes unlike anything else in the fast food universe. On crispiness alone, this one deserves the third-place spot, although it is a bit bland. It’s light and flavorless in a good way, like a canvas for dipping sauces. I used this nugget in the 62-sauce test for a reason, it’s just a natural pair for dipping and retains its crispiness for the longest amount of time.

The Bottom Line:

A good chicken nugget with a great texture.

Find your nearest McDonald’s here.

2. Wendy’s Spicy Nuggets — Taste 1

The Chicken Nugget:

I really liked this one, it was a great way to start the tasting and packed so much flavor thanks to the blend of cayenne and black pepper. It also has the crispiness you want. The breading is thick but still snappy. And while the meat tastes very cheap, it’s tender and the spice is strong enough to distract from the texture. If we didn’t have our number one choice in the lineup, this would’ve taken the top spot easily.

The best part of Wendy’s Spicy Nuggets is that they actually deliver on the heat. This isn’t a gentle kick of spice, it’s pretty intense, and we love Wendy’s for going bold.

The Bottom Line:

If you can’t handle spice, you can’t handle these nuggets. A whole lot of flavor in a small package, the only chicken nugget that doesn’t need to be dipped to enhance the experience.

Find your nearest Wendy’s here.

1. Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets — Taste 5

The Chicken Nugget:

I kind of saw this one coming and the blindfold confirmed it, Chick-fil-A’s chicken nuggets, which are made from actual whole chunks of chicken, are in another class. This is real, unprocessed chicken. It’s tender, juicy, and imperfect in the way actual chicken is. Sure, you don’t get a consistent crunch across this nugget, or a consistent shape, but you get so much more flavor here than in any other nugget.

The chicken is marinaded, giving this nugget a depth of flavor that the others just can’t compete with. And that’s just talking about the meat, the breading contains more seasoning than everything else, with notes of garlic, onion powder, and black pepper. If Chick-fil-A made a spicy nugget, it would’ve absolutely dominated this menu and beat out Wendy’s.

I don’t like to give Chick-fil-A praise. But credit where credit is due, this is some damn good chicken.

The Bottom Line:

Easily the best chicken nugget in this taste test.

Find your nearest Chick-fil-A here.

Harry Styles, Jennifer Lopez, Eminem, Prince, and Beyoncé are the only artists who had the number one movie and song in the country in the same week. Jack Black won’t quite get there, but he’ll come closer than anyone expected. Even though we probably should have, because there’s nothing the Tenacious D singer can’t do (including playing Batman, hopefully).

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is expected to finish #1 at the box office for a second straight weekend, while “Peaches,” the Oscar-eligible ballad sung by Bowser (voiced by Black), is climbing up the charts. “The song got off to a strong start in streaming and sales, and has only grown in the days since, as the movie has conquered theaters nationwide,” according to Billboard. “It’s risen from 218,000 daily official on-demand U.S. streams and about 500 digital song sales on April 7 in its first full day of release to 961,000 and 1,000 in streams and sales on April 10 – gains of 342 percent and 104 percent.”

“Peaches” could appear on the Billboard Hot 100 “within the next week or two” (it’s rapidly rising on the global Spotify chart), which would be a first for Black as a solo artist. With Tenacious D, he and Kyle Gass reached #78 with “POD” from The Pick of Destiny. (“Tribute,” the second single from the D’s first album, peaked at #4 in Australia, but failed to chart in the United States.)

Come on, TikTok, do your thing, and get “Peaches” on the Hot 100. And while you’re at it, make “Kyle Quit the Band” go viral, too.

(Via Billboard)

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

The video for Davido’s “Unavailable,” an early highlight from his fourth album Timeless, begins with a radio message that announces the long-awaited return of the “King Of Afrobeat.” That figure is Davido himself, who went two and a half years without a project and minimal releases outside of that.

Though that isn’t all that long, the absence was noticed as his contemporaries – Burna Boy and Wizkid – elevated to new heights. Burna dropped an award-winning album while Wizkid released a magnum opus while newcomers in afrobeats arrived to define the new class of artists that would lead the way.

Five years ago, Davido was at the forefront of afrobeats’ mainstream takeover, firing off records like “If,” “Fall,” and “FIA” that were played so frequently that fans grew tired of them being the only afrobeats records to play in outdoor spaces. To start 2023, Davido was that same star but had yet to insert his defining project into the massive ring that afrobeats created for itself in this current decade.

That’s what makes Timeless the perfect title for Davido’s fourth album. Yes, it continues the theme of time that served as the foundation of the afrobeats singer’s last two albums, A Good Time and A Better Time, but by definition, it accurately describes Davido’s music in today’s afrobeats space – “not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion.”

With Timeless, Davido proves himself to be a limitless artist with enough strength to always find a way to finish at the top. The same singer who arrived with the electric and raw “Dami Duro” can use that same joy and energy in a different way for another party-friendly record, like “Unavailable,” more than a decade later. Between the two records, the similarities and differences are clear, above all, they speak to the timeless nature of Davido and his artistry.

Timeless caters to those who were assured that its awaited arrival would be nothing short of monumental while also sneering at those who had doubts about its potential. Davido re-emerges from one of the lowest points in his life as a rejuvenated man with a new sense of appreciation, value, and vigor. Defeat is not a part of Davido’s ministry and it’s a message that couldn’t be any clearer on the album’s opener “Over Dem.”

He boasts about his ability to win no matter the circumstances, singing, “Over dem all / If dem wan turn Goliath / I be David for life / Oluwa dey my side.” Davido delivers these lines with such certainty and little doubt that not only are we convinced of his strength, but it’s also enough to make listeners believe in their own. Davido re-establishes this connection with a higher power just three songs later on “Godfather.”

“All of thе blessings wey dey come my way / They are all from God,” he sings with the certainty and confidence that only the God he sings of could supply. “And if dem try to talk / E go burn them like hot water oh.” To loosely translate: “All of the blessings that come my way / They are all from God / If they try to talk against them / It’ll burn them like hot water.”

As much as he flaunts his strengths, Davido also embraces the losses and the moments of uncertainty. A broken heart and questions for the woman who split it in two are the foundation of “E Pain Me.” Davido croons his pleas to this woman, begging for their return and showcasing the pains of a loss that he can’t seem to wrap his head around. “Wetin I no do for you? / Shey you promise say you no go let me go?” Davido asks. “And last night you told me that it’s all over / E pain me oh.”

The trend continues in the second half of the album with “For The Road,” a record that swaps sadness for disappointment while still finding itself in the realm of love. It’s upended by a well-played double meaning that comes alive with his request for one last night of intimacy “for the road” with a girl who has no desire to be confined by the limitations of a relationship – in other words, she’s “for the road” in Davido’s eyes.

Davido bravest moment in the face of loss comes through “LCND (Legends Can Never Die),” a song dedicated to the people he’s lost in his life, which presumably includes his three-year-old son David Ifeanyi Adeleke Jr. Davido proves that he found life through death, a concept that couldn’t be more representative of the theme behind Timeless.

Davido’s Timeless stretches its arms to touch on areas that pertain to the singer and the world he finds himself in. It boasts the confidence of a man who considers his music and impact to be timeless as well as the fight and focus to prove this case to those who doubted. It’s crafted with the precision that will have it be remembered as one of the best afrobeats albums to come out of the genre’s most spotlighted era while offering moments where Davido is forced to accept his time with an experience was paused, or worse, cut short, whether it be through love, friendship, parenthood, or his career.

The lesson here is to value the time with something or someone while you do have it. With that, Davido is able to produce the tunnel-visioned “Precision,” the besotted “No Competition” with Asake, and the infatuated “In The Garden.” With Timeless, Davido reduced the force that is time into a feather-like obstacle that a king like himself can effortlessly knock down.

Timeless is out now via Davido Music Worldwide/Sony Music. You can stream it here.

We’re just days away from the kickoff of Coachella 2023. The set times for the first weekend are out now, and concertgoers are stoked for the highly anticipated headliners Frank Ocean, Blackpink, and Bad Bunny, as well as the small-font acts who are just as exciting, such as Ethel Cain, The Linda Lindas, Momma, Soul Glo, Sudan Archives, Horsegirl, Pi’erre Bourne, and more.

With all of the anticipation building, there have even been some surprises along the way. It was revealed today that Blink-182 is joining the lineup last minute. It turns out that James Blake is doing the same. He will be performing at 8:30 pm PST on the DoLab stage on Friday.

Earlier this year, Blake appeared on comedian Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast. He discussed the way musicians are not the best people to have conversations with. “When it comes to musicians, we’re not… we don’t tend to be the most articulate people, for some reason,” he said. “I think we’re not the best people to have conversations with. So, I had to branch out. Not because I’m such a great conversationalist, but because I noticed a lot of my conversations with musicians tended to be more one-dimensional.”

Long before recent controversies between Ticketmaster and several musical fanbases, Newport Festivals and Dice had begun laying the groundwork for a better ticketing experience for fans. Last year, Dice partnered with Newport Festivals to simplify the process of purchasing tickets. For Newport’s Folk and Jazz Festivals, fans can easily buy passes through Dice’s mobile app, in an accessible pipeline; artists-festivals-Dice-fans.

The partnership between Newport Festivals and Dice was announced last January, with the mission for fans not to get scammed while buying tickets. This pairing formed after Christopher Capotosto, CEO of Newport Festivals, was introduced to Russ Tannen, President of Dice, following a previous partnership with Highsnobiety on the festivals’ jazz side.

“At the time, It was just, ‘hey, new tech company doing everything mobile, you know, very anti-scalper,’ And I believe that’s how the conversation started,’ says Capotosto.

Each year, Newport’s Folk and Jazz festivals draw in a diverse crowd. But one of Girard’s major concerns was providing ease of access to some of the older fans who wish to buy tickets.

Capotosto, along with Deb Girard, Newport Festivals’ Director Of Ticketing And Admin, was drawn into the fact that the app and its browser portal were intuitive and self-explanatory.

“I spent a great deal of time [going through] the step-by-step processes through the website,” says Girard. [Last year], we had a great support staff with both the festival staff and Dice on site to troubleshoot getting through [the app]. If somebody has an old iPhone and can’t upgrade, there are processes in place to be able to handle that. We did really well, I think.”

The process for purchasing tickets is all digital (with the exception of a few “will call situations,” according to Girard), which allows for transparency in regard to pricing and fees. Additionally, fans will only be able to purchase tickets through Dice, and not through other third parties.

Should a fan not be able to attend either festival after purchasing tickets, they will still be able to resell their passes, however, they may only do so through Dice – and they may only sell their tickets at face value.

“You can go on any of the – Vivid Seats or whatever – insert name of secondary market ticketing company here, and you can see people speculatively putting tickets out at astronomical prices, right?,” says Capotosto, “But if we provide a mechanism by which the platform we’re on is doing a lot of anti-bot activity behind the scenes, and there’s a fan-to-fan ticket exchange, then we’re giving an opportunity for fans whose plans changed to be able to unload their tickets to fans are already waiting in line.”

Since the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festival’s respective launches in 1954 and 1959, the three-day music events have been cultural cornerstones for fans who travel all across the world to bask in the sounds of the eclectic line-up. In recent years, the festivals have sold out before the full line-ups were even announced.

“The Newport team recognized that they could innovate beyond traditional ticketing and offer fans a fantastic experience before doors even open,” says Tannen, “and at DICE we love working with the most ambitious operators in the world, which includes legendary festivals that continue to push the limits. There was a natural synergy there from the start, as we aligned on the same goal of making it easier to get tickets in the hands of fans.”

Additionally, fans can feel good about their purchases, given the all-digital sales process, which promises to be more environmentally conscious.

This year, fans can look forward to seeing Maggie Rogers, Bartees Strange, Orville Peck, and Alice Phoebe Lou at the Newport Folk Festival, which will take place from July 28 to July 30. The following weekend (August 4-6), Samara Joy, Thundercat, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, and several more will take that stage at Newport Jazz Festival.

And believe or not, the full line-ups for both festivals still haven’t been revealed. In recent years, Newport has rolled out the line-up little by little, as opposed to dropping a poster on a single day, featuring all of the acts.

On the second year of the partnership between Newport Festivals and Dice, the Folk festival has already sold out, however, fans can still sign up to be on a waiting list through the Dice app or the website. Girard says the first year of partnering with Dice proved effective, as their plan to cut out scalpers worked.

“I did not have one fake ticket that came through the door [last year],” says Girard. “So that’s, that’s a great win. I’ve seen many people [over the years] come to the event in tears because the tickets they had purchased were not real tickets.”

“DICE values fairness and transparency,” adds Tannen, “and by focusing on the fan experience, we’ve been able to break down the boundaries upheld in the antiquated ticketing industry.”

Lil Dicky’s tour stopped in Atlanta for this week’s cameo-packed episode of Dave, leading to appearances from some of the city’s most recognizable faces. The plot revolves around Dave and GaTa‘s efforts to retrieve Rick Ross‘ stolen chain after a night at the strip club as Dave agonizes over possible Twitter beef with Killer Mike. Dave tries to get Usher and Lil Gotit, Mike’s fellow Atlantans, to assist before he goes to confront the man himself at a Black business brunch (don’t worry… he was invited!).

The episode gave Ross and Mike, two charmingly effective comedians in their own right, a chance to really flex their funny muscles alongside Lil Dicky, playing off of his neurotic energy with a combination of sanguine interest and outright confusion. Mike really gets the upper hand on Dave Burd’s heightened self-parody, conning Dave into giving the money he didn’t have to ransom Ross’s missing chain to support the cause. The show’s fans certainly seemed to enjoy Dave’s Atlanta-based misadventures:

Of course, if you’ve been following Rick on social media at all, you know the man born Leonard Williams is about as naturally funny as a human being can be. From self-gardening his massive estate to save money, to keeping a herd of buffaloes as pets, to avoiding Teslas because he doesn’t trust self-driving cars, he’s a walking meme — and seems to be a pretty good sport about it. Just check out his reaction to almond milk.

For more about season three of Dave, check out our interview with the show’s creator and star Dave Burd (aka Lil Dicky).

Few games have generated as much excitement this year as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It makes sense why with Breath of the Wild being arguably one of the best games ever made. It’s an impossible game to follow, but Tears of the Kingdom is gonna give it a go, and honestly after its most recent trailer, there might be reason to believe it can surpass its predecessor.

The thing we have wondered ever since the game was released was how, exactly, does Nintendo plan to approach a sequel to Breath of the Wild? They could reinvent the structure entirely, or they can double down on what worked and make it even better. After today, I think we can safely say it’s the latter, because what we got to see was an open world just like the previous one with a ton of open space to experiment and play in.

The best part of Breath of the Wild wasn’t really the story or the dungeons or even the puzzles. It was the open nature of it, as players were told to just go into the world and see what happens. This led to amazing moments for each individual player where they all experienced their own stories and moments. The latest Tears of the Kingdom trailer is full of teasers of what tools the player will have to work with. We saw antigravity, a lot of gliding, the ability to throw boulders, and at one point, Link enters a giant water ball.

This world is going to be a toy box. Since it is a Zelda game, we know there will be a plot and puzzles to guide us along, but personally, I can’t wait to see how this game lets me experience Hyrule.