Preparing for the final song of his Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour on Friday (May 22) night in Cleveland, Bruce Springsteen reminded the Rocket Arena crowd that “the E Street Band was built for hard times.”
Those times have inarguably become harder during the seven-and-a-half weeks since the 20-date trek began in Minneapolis, and it was evident on Friday that it’s only made the group, 20 strong on this outing, harder and Springsteen even more focused and resolute in his mission.
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Cleveland marked the 17th date of the tour — and the start of its final week — which is likely to culminate in an even more pointed and poignant reckoning on May 27 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The tour wraps May 30 in Philadelphia after that date was postponed because of an NBA scheduling conflict.
The setlist remains unchanged since Springsteen and company added the Clash’s “Clampdown” to the set during the third show in Inglewood, California. Springsteen didn’t even vary the show to reference the previous night’s end of Stephen Colbert’s late-night TV reign (he sang “Streets of Minneapolis” on the penultimate episode) or the Cleveland Cavaliers’ spot in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Boss did, however, reference the city’s Agora, site of revered live radio broadcasts during the ’70s, and emotionally thanked the city “for a lifetime” of devotion.
Primarily, the New Jersey rocker continued to present as ferocious and committed, pulling no punches as he slammed “reckless, racist, incompetent, treasonous” U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies and “super fools administration.” His words — delivered by Springsteen as part pulpit-pumping preacher and part podium-pounding representative of the people, with just enough Rock Star thrown in — were strong. But it was the 27 songs that really put weight behind the message, as the E Street troupe during its two-hours and 50 minutes on stage.
The repertoire is carefully considered and curated, from the opening protest of the Temptations/Edwin Starr Vietnam era hit “War” through the hymn-like closing of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.” In between, Springsteen offered a treatise and sermon about not just what’s wrong in America today but also what can be right. He’s certainly taking his crowds to the “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” but he wants to bring them back as well.
“We needed to come to Cleveland… to feel your strength and your hope and your faith,” Springsteen explained at the end of the night. “And we needed to bring some strength and some hope and some faith.”
That, in turn, made the optimism of “The Promised Land,” “Long Walk Home,” “City of Ruins,” “Land of Hope and Dreams” (with its snippet of the Impressions’ “People Get Ready” and “This American Land” essential and uplifting moments, as crucial to the conversation as “Death to My Hometown” and “Murder Incorporated.” There is indeed “trouble in the heartland,” but the belief in the love, faith and hope that Springsteen sings about in “Badlands” remains central, aspirational and achievable.
It was also, lest we forget, one helluva rock ’n’ roll show, with the expanded E Street Band operating at peak power — including the return of Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello as a featured guest. And Bruce Springsteen, at 76, may have adopted a well-honed economy of movement, but he remained a commanding presence — and, yes, still a force of nature onstage.
Nearly every song provided a highlight of one kind or another, but we’ll go with these as our 10 best moments from an exciting night near the banks of Lake Erie.
Post Malone is heading to stadiums in Australia and New Zealand this October, with Live Nation announcing a four-date run that marks the global superstar’s largest headline shows in the region to date.
The Big Ass World Tour touches down at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Oct. 9, Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Oct. 12, Sydney’s ENGIE Stadium on Oct. 15, and closes at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium on Oct. 21. Post Malone will also headline three Strummingbird Festival appearances in Ballarat (Oct. 10), Newcastle (Oct. 17) and Sunshine Coast (Oct. 18). Don Toliver joins as special guest across all stadium dates.
Artist presale begins Tuesday, May 26, with general on sale opening Thursday, May 28. Mastercard cardholders in Australia and Westpac Mastercard holders in New Zealand have access to exclusive presale tickets from May 26. VIP packages are available via vipnation.com.
The Australian and New Zealand run follows a landmark stretch for Post Malone in both markets, including sold-out arena dates in 2023 and headline sets at Spilt Milk Festival. His latest album, F-1 Trillion — his debut country record — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned eight Grammy nominations at the 2025 ceremony, including collaborations with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Its lead single “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks, posting the highest weekly sales and streams of any song since 2020. His catalogue includes nine diamond-certified singles, among them “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),” which became the first song in RIAA history to achieve double diamond certification — the highest-certified single in RIAA history.
Toliver brings serious chart credentials of his own to the tour. The Houston-bred rapper and singer has landed all five of his studio albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. His most recent release, OCTANE (2026), debuted at No. 1 with 162,000 equivalent album units in its first week, generating 423 million first-week global streams. He is currently on his 31-city North American OCTANE Tour before joining Post Malone for the Australian and New Zealand leg.
Postie will deliver his biggest-ever headline shows in Australia and New Zealand when his BIG ASS World Tour swings down under this October.
Produced by Live Nation, Post Malone’s four-date stadium jaunt gets underway Oct. 9 at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, then stops at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium (Oct. 12), Sydney’s ENGIE Stadium (Oct. 15), and wraps up at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium on Oct. 21. Don Toliver will be joining Post Malone as “special guest” on those dates.
The U.S. singer and rapper’s fans in the regions won’t miss out. Malone’s lap of Australia will include spots on the Strummingbird Festival bill in Ballarat (Oct. 10), Newcastle (Oct. 17) and Queensland’s Sunshine Coast (Oct. 18).
The “Rockstar” artist is familiar with the biggest venues in these parts. He opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers’ on the rockers’ six-date Australasian stadium run in early 2023, and later that year headlined headline Spilt Milk festival, which visited Canberra, Ballarat and Perth. On that festival run, he enamored himself even further with locals when he performed a “shoey” by drinking beer out of fans’ boots while on stage.
Post Malone gets it done on the Australia charts, too. His seven albums have all impacted the ARIA top 10, including No. 1s for Beerbongs & Bentleys in 2018, Hollywood’s Bleeding in 2019. His most recent collection, the 2024 country album from F-1 Trillion, flew to No. 2.
Spreading over two years, and two legs, the Big Ass world tour marks a continuation of Malone’s recent pivot toward country and roots-influenced sounds, a direction that has broadened his audience in recent years.
As previously reported, Postie pushed back the opening of his U.S. run earlier this year with Jelly Roll, as he got down to work on completing his forthcoming album, reportedly titled The Eternal Buzz. A release date hasn’t been announced.
Tickets for Postie’s Australasian shows will be available starting with an artist presale beginning Tuesday, May 26. The general onsale then starts on Thursday, May 28.
Visit postmalone.com, livenation.com.au/register and livenation.co.nz/register for more. See here for further information on Strummingbird Festival dates.
The “Big Ass World Tour” Australia & New Zealand 2026 Dates:
Oct. 9 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, AUS
Oct. 10 – Strummingbird Festival, Ballarat, AUS
Oct. 12 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, AUS
Oct. 15 – ENGIE Stadium, Sydney, AUS
Oct. 17 – Strummingbird Festival, Newcastle, AUS
Oct. 18 – Strummingbird Festival, Sunshine Coast, AUS
Oct. 21 – Go Media Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Lola Young will return to the stage for All Things Go NY a year after she collapsed midsong at last year’s event in September. In a statement, the singer said “we have unfinished business,” adding that she was feeling “blessed and ready to take it to the next level.”
Young will headline the festival’s opening night on Sept. 25 along with Zara Larsson on a bill that will also feature Rebecca Black, Cara Delevingne, Blue Detiger and Chloe Quisha. The festival, which runs from Sept. 25-27 at Forest Hills Stadium in New York, will host headliner Brandi Carlile on night two, along with Sienna Spiro, CMAT, Jensen McRae, Meg Stalter and Natalie Jinju.
The final night will be toplined by MUNA, who will be joined by The Beaches, Hemlocke Springs, Grace Ives, Cherry Bomb and Carly Rae Jepsen. Tickets for the festival will be available through a presale beginning on Wednesday (May 20) at 10 a.m. ET; you can sign up for a presale access on the festival’s website.
In addition to this year’s all-female/non-binary artist lineup in New York, ATG is also taking place in Washington, D.C. at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sept. 25-27 with Mitski, Ethel Cain, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Hayley Williams, MUNA, Larsson, Suki Waterhouse, Carlile, Young, Spiro and Father John Misty, among others. The Toronto edition taking place on June 6-7 will feature sets from Kesha, The Beaches, Rachel Chinouriri, Lorde, Wet Leg, Del Water Gap and others.
In March of this year, Young opened up about the turmoil in her life that led to onstage collapse, which she described as her “breaking point.” She told Rolling Stone that her hectic schedule at the time made it hard to manage her cocaine dependency and schizoaffective disorder, which she had discussed previously.
“When somebody is going through addiction, or struggling in any capacity, it’s hard to know how much a person can do … I chose to hurt myself and self-sabotage, and I also chose to get onstage and perform,” she said. After her on-stage incident Young told fans she would be “going away for a while” to “work on myself.” Young made her return to the stage in March in London for her first full set since All Things Go.
Check out the full lineup for the 2026 All Things Go NY below.
OsamaSon is heading to Australia for the first time. The 22-year-old South Carolina rapper will play three shows across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in October on the Psykturnal Tour, Live Nation announced Monday (May 18), marking a significant milestone for one of underground rap’s most compelling breakout voices.
The run opens at Festival Hall in Melbourne on Oct. 10, moves to Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Oct. 11, and concludes at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane on Oct. 14. General tickets go on sale Friday, May 22 at 10 a.m. local via livenation.com.au, with a Mastercard presale opening Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. and a Live Nation presale from Thursday, May 21 at 10 a.m.
OsamaSon first broke through with his 2025 LP Jump Out, which debuted at No. 151 on the Billboard 200. Built on an aggressive, distorted take on rage-leaning trap, Jump Out introduced an artist with a singular sonic identity — one capable of commanding chaos in a live room while still maintaining the melodic instincts that set him apart from his peers.
Less than a year after Jump Out, OsamaSon returned with Psykotic, the album from which the Psykturnal Tour takes its name. Recorded almost entirely on the road during the 20-stop nationwide Jump Out Tour, Psykotic represents a return to what OsamaSon has described as his “Flex Musik era” — the experimental phase of his early career before he sharpened his sound into the rage-trap blueprint that made Jump Out a critical phenomenon.
In releasing two back-to-back, sonically independent albums in the same calendar year, OsamaSon joins a lineage of artists including DMX and Future who have used rapid double releases to consolidate momentum and demonstrate range simultaneously.
The Australian dates arrive at a pivotal moment in OsamaSon’s trajectory. Having already played major festival stages including Rolling Loud 2026 and completed extensive touring across North America, the move into international headline touring signals a significant step up.
At just 22, with two critically acclaimed albums, a growing cult following and a live show built for exactly the kind of high-energy rooms he’ll be playing in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, the Psykturnal Tour shapes up as one of the most anticipated underground rap debuts on Australian soil in years.
Killswitch Engage are returning to Australia and New Zealand for their biggest headline run in the region yet, the Massachusetts metalcore band announced Monday (May 18). English metal outfit Sylosis will serve as special guests across all dates.
The run marks the band’s first headline shows in Australia and New Zealand since 2018, and their first visit to the region since September 2024, when they supported Iron Maiden on their arena tour.
The upcoming tour will kick off in New Zealand with a show at Auckland’s Powerstation on Oct. 31, followed by Wellington’s Meow Nui on Nov. 1. The band then moves through Australia, playing Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Nov. 3, Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Nov. 6, Wollongong’s Waves on Nov. 7, Melbourne’s Forum on Nov. 10, Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall on Nov. 12, and concluding at Metropolis Fremantle in Perth on Nov. 14.
A Spotify presale opens Tuesday, May 19 at 10 a.m. AEST using the code KSE26, followed by a promoter presale Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. AEST with the code KSEAUS. General tickets go on sale Thursday, May 21 at 10 a.m. AEST via SBM Presents.
Formed in Westfield, Massachusetts in 1999, Killswitch Engage are one of the defining acts of the American metalcore movement, having placed seven albums on the Billboard 200 including three top 10 debuts. Their 2016 album Incarnate remains their highest-charting record, debuting at No. 6, while Disarm the Descent (2013) and their 2009 self-titled album both debuted at No. 7. Atonement (2019) peaked at No. 13 and topped both the Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts.
The band has earned three Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance — for “The End of Heartache” (2005), “In Due Time” (2014) and “Unleashed” (2020). Their most recent studio album, This Consequence, was released in February 2025.
Harry Styles has added a fourth and final Melbourne show to his Together, Together global residency run, Live Nation announced Monday (May 18), citing extraordinary demand for tickets.
The new date — Friday, Dec. 4 at Marvel Stadium — marks the final Australia date added on the tour and joins three previously announced Melbourne shows on Nov. 27, Nov. 28 and Dec. 2.
Sydney shows follow at Accor Stadium on Dec. 12 and 13, with Fousheé supporting across all Australian dates alongside Baby J. General tickets for the new Melbourne date go on sale Friday, May 22 at 11 a.m. AEST via hstyles.co.uk/tour, with an American Express presale running Wednesday, May 20 at 11 a.m. and a Live Nation presale Thursday, May 21 at 11 a.m.
Together, Together is one of the most ambitious touring operations of 2026, comprising more than 60 performances across Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne and Sydney.
Highlights of the run include 30 consecutive nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden — Styles’ only U.S. shows — and a 12-night run at London’s Wembley Stadium, which the tour claims breaks the record for the most performances by any artist at the venue in a single calendar year.
Each show features an in-the-round stage production blending new material with career highlights, with support acts varying by city — including Robyn in Amsterdam, Shania Twain at Wembley, Jorja Smith in Mexico City and Jamie xx at MSG.
Styles is one of the biggest touring acts in Billboard Boxscore history. Love On Tour grossed $617.3 million and sold more than 5 million tickets across 169 shows, making it the fifth-highest-grossing tour in Boxscore history. His first three solo albums — Harry Styles (2017), Fine Line (2019) and Harry’s House (2022) — all debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “As It Was” spent 15 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the fourth-longest-running No. 1 in the chart’s history and the longest ever by a UK act.
The tour supports Styles’ fourth studio album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., released earlier this year and executive-produced by Kid Harpoon. The album spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while lead single “Aperture” topped the Billboard Hot 100. Styles launched the tour with the first two of 10 Amsterdam shows at Johan Cruijff ArenA over the weekend.
The tour’s charity partner is Choose Love, with whom Styles has partnered for a decade, supporting humanitarian aid including food, shelter and education for displaced people globally.
Darwin’s Mindil Beach came alive on Saturday night (May 16) as BASSINTHEGRASS 2026 delivered another edition of the annual music festival, drawing close to 12,000 attendees to one of Australia’s most distinctive live music settings.
More than 20 international and Australian artists performed across the night, with US rapper Denzel Curry, Swedish electronic duo Galantis, the UK’s Venjent and Morty, US act AYYBO and South Korea’s Oktae joining Australian acts Peking Duk, The Teskey Brothers, The Living End, Ball Park Music and Mallrat for the all-ages event. Tourism and Events NT reported that one in five attendees were visitors to the Territory.
Galantis DJ Christian Karlsson was effusive about the experience. “It’s an absolutely mind-blowing experience,” he said. “I didn’t know anything, but I knew that Australia always, always deliver. I couldn’t even imagine how mind-blowing this would be. Hey, come to Darwin — Darwin is the number one spot.”
Playlunch lead singer Liam Bell was equally enthusiastic about the festival’s unique atmosphere. “It’s been amazing to be on the lineup with all these other amazing acts,” he said. “I’m not even sure we have stuff like this as good in Victoria. We’ve had some laksa, and it’s changed our lives — but also, obviously the people are amazing, the vibes are amazing.”
Tourism and Events NT CEO Suzana Bishop said the festival’s appeal went beyond the music. “Brilliant performances are just part of what makes BASSINTHEGRASS so memorable,” she said. “It’s the combination of world-class live music, Darwin’s natural beauty, warm dry season weather, location on Mindil Beach, incredible food and Top End experiences that makes it unlike any other.”
The festival capped off a massive weekend for Darwin, which also saw just over 11,900 locals and visitors attend the AFL clash between the Gold Coast Suns and Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium. Darwin hotel occupancy across the event weekend reached 70%, around 10 points higher than the previous year.
On Friday night (May 15), the country music community came together to support Lifting Lives, the Academy of Country Music’s philanthropic partner.
In a concert billed Country on the Green and headlined by Riley Green at TopGolf in Las Vegas, Lifting Lives celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since its 2006 founding, Lifting Lives has donated over $12 million to more than 150 causes.
Green, who is up for four ACM Awards, was joined by new female artist of the year winner Avery Anna, Lauren Alaina, Rodney Atkins and Randy Houser in the show that took place two nights before Sunday’s (May 17) ACM Awards. In an evening of hits and singalongs, the four support acts spanned more than 30 years of hits, performing fast-paced sets of four songs each, while Green wrapped up the evening with a nine-song set.
Lifting Lives helps those specifically working in country music across the spectrum, providing emergency relief, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve had so much feedback over the years about how that made a difference in people’s lives, helped them stay in Nashville, helped them stay on their career path, all those kinds of things,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside told Billboard earlier this year. “That’s what I love about ACM Lifting Lives — we can actually help people individually like that in times of need.”
Lifting Lives also supports a music camp for those with Williams Syndrome.
At last year’s fundraiser, held in Frisco, Texas, in conjunction with the ACM Awards’ 60th anniversary, Lifting Lives honored Brooks & Dunn at a gala featuring Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Cody Johnson and other acts saluting the venerable and beloved duo.
The 61st ACM Awards will stream on Amazon’s Prime Video live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena at 8 p.m. ET.
Below is a recap of the evening’s highlights.
If Hayley Williams were a doctor, she would prescribe everyone a dose of ego death.
Ego death was created to help people “deconstruct expired systems” and “survive the daily onslaught of a sexist, racist, white supremacist, phobic and fascist hatred.” Ego death should not be taken by those allergic to empathy. At least, that’s what fans were told during the opening monologue of Williams’ Tuesday night (May 12) performance at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Williams released her third solo studio album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party last summer to great critical acclaim and with it, earned herself four nominations at the 2026 Grammys. After a canceled 2020 trek meant to support her first solo LP, Petals for Armor, Williams has finally embarked on her first ever solo tour. Supporting Ego Death, Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party kicked off on March 28 in Atlanta before snaking its way across the United States (and a stop in Ontario). This week, the Paramore front woman is closing the North American leg of her first solo tour with three sold-out dates in L.A.
Although Williams brought the Parafour — Paramore’s touring band — along for the ride, fans should not expect to hear any Paramore songs on this tour. In fact, they also should not hope to hear anything off of either of Williams’ first two solo albums — 2020’s Petals for Armor and 2021’s FLOWERS for VASES/descansos — either. Instead of showcasing her other musical ventures, Williams opted to perform every track from Ego Death on this trek. But with a 20-piece track list with songs that cover everything from breakups (“Parachut,” “Good Ol’ Days”) to bigotry in the U.S. South (“True Believer”) to effective antidepressants (“Mirtazapine”), Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party provided plenty of material for an incredible concert set list.
But of course, Williams — who first dropped the album as a series of 17 unannounced singles on her website last August — had a couple of extra tricks up her sleeve. From a surprise Jack Antonoff cameo to a heart-wrenching Nina Simone cover, below are Billboard‘s five favorite moments from the May 12 “Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party” show in Los Angeles.