Charlie Puth has cancelled his upcoming Australian and New Zealand tour, scrapping a number of November arena dates first announced in April.

The six-date arena run was due to begin at Auckland’s Spark Arena in early November before heading to Australia for concerts in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

According to an email sent to ticket holders, the shows will no longer proceed and all tickets will be automatically refunded to the original payment method. Fans do not need to take any action to receive their refunds.

Ticketing outlets have also listed the concerts as canceled and removed tickets from sale.

No reason for the cancellation has been announced, and Puth had not publicly addressed the decision at press time. It is not yet known whether replacement dates will be scheduled.

Announced in April, the regional run was set to mark Puth’s first Australian visit since 2023. The singer had promised fans an “unforgettable live experience” featuring a “world-class band.”

“I feel like I’ve worked and waited my entire career to put this sort of live show on for you all,” Puth said when announcing the dates.

The canceled shows were scheduled in support of Puth’s fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever!, which arrived in March. Produced by Puth alongside BloodPop, the project blends jazz, soft rock and yacht rock influences and includes guest appearances from Kenny G, Kenny Loggins and Jeff Goldblum.

Puth first topped the Billboard Hot 100 as a featured artist on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” in 2015. The Furious 7 soundtrack single spent 12 weeks at No. 1 and earned three Grammy nominations, including song of the year.

His debut album, Nine Track Mind, followed in 2016 and included the singles “Marvin Gaye,” featuring Meghan Trainor, “One Call Away” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” featuring Selena Gomez.

Puth’s representatives and the tour’s promoter have not publicly provided further details about the cancellation.

Eight years after her last concert in Spain, Shakira reunited with her Madrid audience on Friday (Sept. 18), kicking off a 12-date residency in front of 55,000 fans at the Shakira Stadium, a temporary venue built specifically for this event.

Hours before the show, the vibrant atmosphere extended beyond the stage, with long lines at food stalls and interactive activity booths. Among the crowd, fans donned purple wigs, coin-adorned scarves tied around their waists, wolf ears and masks and elements inspired by Barranquilla’s Carnival.

“I can’t believe I’m here. It all feels like a dream,” the Colombian superstar said as she welcomed her fans. “Having you here again tonight, you don’t know how happy it makes me because it’s proof of the love and affection you’ve given me all these years.”

She humorously summed up in one sentence how much has changed since her last visit to Spain. “Everyone tells me, ‘Shaki, look at the face you left with and the face you’ve come back with,’” she joked, laughing. “Things have happened in my life since the last time I saw you.” Behind the joke lies much of the personal history that has fueled her recent songs, which now brought her back to Madrid.

The promise translated into a journey through more than three decades of music. Shakira danced almost nonstop for nearly two hours, transitioning from rock to reggaeton, showcasing her Lebanese roots, and transforming herself — and her wardrobe — multiple times as she connected the different eras of her catalog. Fans who’ve been with her since the beginning shared the space with a new generation that sang her most recent hits by heart.

Songs like “Girl Like Me,” “Te felicito,” “TQG,” “Soltera” and “Hips Don’t Lie” had the crowd singing along in a stadium that rarely quieted down. With “Dai Dai,” the 2026 FIFA World Cup official song, the celebration took on a special meaning for the local audience. “Spain, World Champion!” Shakira shouted, unleashing one of the most electrifying moments of the night.

Other special moments included “Acróstico,” dedicated to her children Milan and Sasha, which moved many in the audience to tears, and the much-anticipated “Te Dejo Madrid,” a new addition to the setlist compared to previous stops on the tour. Before performing it, Shakira recalled her first visit to Madrid at the age of 19, when she fell in love with a Madrileño whom she described with laughter as “a true Iberian specimen: dark-haired, fun and cheerful,” though she admitted he eventually broke her heart.

The opening night ended without surprise guests, despite part of the audience’s expectations. This mystery will remain open during the 11 remaining dates of Shakira’s residency in Madrid, where the She-Wolf reconnected with her pack, and they howled right along with her.

Aaron Rowe has defended Ed Sheeran amid the continuing fallout over Macklemore’s removal from the singer’s Loop Tour, arguing that public criticism is being directed at the wrong person.

Rowe was among the artists who withdrew from Sheeran’s remaining tour dates after Macklemore was dropped from eight scheduled appearances.

The decision followed Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian comments and performance of his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall” during Sheeran’s Sept. 4 and 5 concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“I’m gonna be honest. I think you are all focusing on the wrong person here,” Rowe said in an Instagram video posted Friday (Sept. 18). “All I keep hearing is Ed Sheeran this, Ed Sheeran that — when you really should be focusing on the likes of Robert Kraft.”

Kraft’s company, the Kraft Group, owns Gillette Stadium, where Macklemore had been scheduled to support Sheeran on Sept. 25 and 26. Macklemore previously alleged that Kraft pressured promoters to remove him from the tour. Messina Touring Group said venues had warned that upcoming concerts would not proceed while Macklemore remained on the bill.

Sheeran has said the decision was made by the tour’s promoter rather than him. He said he spoke with venues, promoters and activists in an attempt to find a resolution but was unable to overrule the decision.

Rowe said Sheeran’s response “could have been a lot better,” but argued that panic within the singer’s team contributed to the decision and that he believed Sheeran now considered it a mistake.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Ed too much, but I fully believe he knows that was a mistake,” Rowe said.

Rowe, Lukas Graham and FINNEAS subsequently withdrew from scheduled support appearances, while Irish band Beoga pulled out of its role in Sheeran’s touring band. Announcing his departure earlier in the week, Rowe said he could not “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence” artists speaking about Palestinians.

Macklemore has pledged to donate $1 million in net earnings from the tour to organizations supporting Palestinians and publicly challenged Kraft to match the contribution. Kraft later announced a $2 million commitment, saying it followed a similar request from Sheeran.

Sheeran’s tour is scheduled to resume Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. No opening acts are currently listed for the concert.

KISS co-founder Gene Simmons will receive the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s lifetime achievement award during the IEBA 2026 Honors & Awards ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at The Pinnacle Nashville. The ceremony will serve as the culmination of IEBA’s 56th annual conference, taking place Oct. 4-6, with daytime programming at Grand Hyatt Nashville and nighttime events at The Pinnacle.

As co-founder, bassist and vocalist of KISS, Simmons helped transform the band into a global phenomenon. KISS was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2025.

“Gene Simmons embodies the kind of lasting impact the IEBA Lifetime Achievement Award was created to recognize,” Brian Wagner, executive director of IEBA, said in a statement. “KISS didn’t simply build a catalog of iconic music; they changed the scale and possibilities of the live concert experience. Gene’s vision for connecting music, performance, spectacle and brand has influenced generations of artists and live entertainment professionals, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate that legacy at IEBA 2026.”

The ceremony will also celebrate the 2026 IEBA Hall of Fame class, with inductions honoring legendary entertainer Chubby Checker and veteran talent buyer Gil Cunningham. Established in 2010, the IEBA Hall of Fame recognizes those whose lasting contributions have helped shape the live entertainment industry.

Checker had two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, “The Twist” and “Pony Time.” “The Twist” was the first single to hit No. 1 in two separate chart runs, in 1960 and 1962. It was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 and the National Recording Registry in 2012. Checker was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

“Chubby Checker represents something that every talent buyer understands, the extraordinary value of an artist who can connect with an audience generation after generation,” said Wagner. “His influence extends far beyond an iconic song or dance. He helped change the way audiences participate in live music, and more than six decades later, that connection remains at the heart of what makes live entertainment so powerful.”

Over more than 37 years in live entertainment, Cunningham has earned recognition from both IEBA and the Academy of Country Music. His honors include IEBA talent buyer, event producer, festival buyer and entertainment buyer of the year, the IEBA president’s award and multiple ACM Don Romeo talent buyer of the year honors, including his fifth ACM buyer of the year recognition in 2025.

Cunningham has served as both president and vp of the IEBA, while also serving the broader industry through leadership roles and committee work with organizations including the Country Music Association and the T.J. Martell Foundation.

“Gil Cunningham represents the very best of the talent-buying profession and of IEBA,” said Barry Jeffrey, IEBA chairman emeritus and WME partner. “Great buyers combine knowledge and instinct with relationships, trust and a willingness to take a chance on an artist before everyone else sees what they see. Gil has done that throughout his career, while giving back to this organization and mentoring the people coming behind him. His impact can be seen in the artists he has championed, the events he has helped build and the professionals whose careers he has influenced.”

The IEBA Honors & Awards ceremony recognizes outstanding achievement across the live entertainment business, with IEBA members selecting winners in categories including club, casino, theater, arena, amphitheater, fair/expo and festival of the year, as well as awards recognizing leading talent buyers, agents, promoters, venue executives, young professionals and music and entertainment industry educators.

The Honors & Awards cap three days of programming, bringing together the professionals who drive the live entertainment business. IEBA 2026 will feature keynote conversations, educational sessions, industry roundtables, networking, agency parties, live performances and the association’s signature Agents Alley, where buyers connect directly with hundreds of agents representing touring talent.

For more information about IEBA and the 56th annual conference, visit the IEBA website.