Forest Hills Stadium already feels like a kind of time capsule. Tucked inside Queens, its Tudor-style cottages and intimate village-like pathways create the sensation of stepping into a storybook hidden inside New York City. On Saturday night (Sept. 5), that atmosphere became the setting for Rauw Alejandro’s own living storybook: a three-act performance that moved from the Puerto Rican roots and musical influences that shaped him to the superstar he is now — and the artist he is still becoming.

The show — Red Bull Chapters featuring Rauw Alejandro — was initially scheduled for one night. After that date sold out quickly, a second performance was added for Sunday (Sept. 6), giving the event an unexpected momentum even before its first chapter began. It also marked Red Bull’s first Chapters project centered on a recording artist, following the brand’s long history of building platforms around athletes, action sports and culture — including its influential Red Bull Batalla freestyle competition.

That distinction mattered. This was not simply a Rauw Alejandro concert with Red Bull branding layered onto it. The production asked what might happen when Rauw’s theatrical concert language met the brand’s appetite for movement, risk and spectacle.

One day before the show, Rauw told Billboard over Zoom that the collaboration was intended to merge “the world of extreme sports, the world of sports, with the world of art and music.” He added: “It’s literally Rauw and Red Bull. It’s not like Rauw Alejandro and Red Bull separately — it’s a fusion between the two worlds.”

The performance made that fusion visible. Its three chapters were titled “Inspiration,” “Momentum” and “Legacy,” turning his career into a past-present-future narrative. Rather than treating his catalog as a straight chronology, the show presented his evolution as a series of leaps: from family, island and sound; to global momentum; to the risks required to keep moving forward.

Inspiration

The opening chapter began with images of the Caribbean Sea and the sun, accompanied by a narrated portrait of Puerto Rico as the place where mountains, ocean and city meet. The story connected Taíno, African and Spanish influences with salsa, reggaetón and rock — sounds that entered Rauw’s life through his grandfather, his own early ambitions and his father, guitarist Raúl Ocasio.

That history gained new resonance in Billboard’s interview, when Rauw spoke about growing up around his father and grandfather, both musicians. His grandfather was a trovador; his father played guitar, composed and introduced him to Elvis Presley, James Brown and other American oldies while salsa played in the family’s orbit. Rauw also recalled secretly buying his first reggaetón record as a child, at a time when the genre was not yet embraced by everyone around him.

“I grew up in an environment with a lot of musical variety,” he said. “I think that marked me a lot, and it’s reflected in my art.”

He opened the concert with “Santa,” his collaboration with Rvssian and Ayra Starr, dressed in a brown studded leather jacket, dark sunglasses and matching pants. After welcoming the audience to the inaugural Red Bull Chapters with him, he framed the night as an opportunity to share the experiences that had brought him to that stage.

The mood shifted between intimacy and showmanship. “2/Catorce” prompted a full-crowd singalong, while “Club El Calentero” lit the stadium in neon colors. In between songs, Rauw spoke about the uncertainty of inspiration — how a song can begin with a word, a melody or a rhythm that simply creates a feeling before its meaning becomes clear.

That idea became physical during “Tú Con Él,” his cover of Frankie Ruiz’s classic. Backed by a full band — including guitarists, a keyboardist and percussionists — Rauw delivered the song with an ease that made the homage feel less like a detour than a conversation between generations of Puerto Rican music.

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Momentum

The transition into the second chapter introduced the production’s most overtly athletic language. A skateboarding structure rolled onto the stage as performers in Joker-like helmets executed tricks with fire blazing behind them. Later, daredevil motorcyclists performed wheelies and other stunts while Rauw changed into a black leather look with a rocker edge.

The action was not confined to interludes. Extreme-sports imagery — snowboarders, ice skaters and surfers — flashed across the screens as Rauw’s live performance continued, turning athletic risk into a visual metaphor for the decisions that propel an artist from one era into the next. The production’s narration asked how someone holds onto the hunger that first fueled them, and what it takes to leap into the unknown without knowing whether they will fly or fall.

That idea also connected to the musical openness Rauw inherited from his family. “My father taught me to be more open and to listen to more music,” he told Billboard Español. “I grew up with a lot of musical variety, and I think that marked me a lot and is reflected in my art.” In the show, that variety took shape through genre shifts, live instrumentation and reimagined arrangements.

Cosa Nuestra remained important context rather than the show’s central subject. The album — and its 2025 follow-up, Cosa Nuestra: Capítulo 0 — established Rauw’s interest in theatrical world-building, New York’s Puerto Rican history and the relationship between tradition and contemporary urbano. Red Bull Chapters expanded that vocabulary by making the act of taking a risk part of the narrative itself.

The performance then accelerated into the hits and collaborations that defined Rauw’s global ascent. “Todo De Ti” and “Carita Linda” were among the night’s biggest crowd reactions, while the live band gave the songs a muscular, concert-scale energy.

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Rauw also used the second chapter to address the Puerto Rican diaspora directly. “There are approximately six million Puerto Ricans outside the island, while Puerto Rico itself has only three million,” he told the Forest Hills crowd. “Puerto Rico needs us — the people who are there every day, but also those of us who are here.”

Acknowledging that returning home is not always easy for people balancing family, work and personal struggles, he urged the audience to stay connected to the island. “We can’t allow them to slowly take away our beautiful island and keep what belongs to us — our culture, our identity,” he said. “We have to take care of Puerto Rico together.”

Legacy

For the final chapter, Rauw emerged in an all-white leather look: ’70s-inspired pants, chains, a vest and aviator sunglasses, his reddish hair styled into another distinct character. The change was more than a costume shift. It signaled a move away from biography and toward possibility.

Tainy appeared behind the decks as Rauw called for New York to make itself heard, while Chencho Corleone later joined him for “Desesperados,” one of the evening’s most euphoric moments.

The final act primarily explored the future of Rauw’s sound through a more futuristic visual language and a freer mixture of reggaetón, R&B, electronic music and pop. The concert’s production continually opened new doors — new colors, new characters, new arrangements — without abandoning the physicality that has always made Rauw one of Latin music’s most compelling live performers.

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That forward motion also echoed what he told Billboard Español about what comes next. Rauw said October will bring several collaborations, including artists from Puerto Rico and international acts, but that “2027 will be completely Raúl” — a year focused on his own next project.

Red Bull Chapters ultimately worked best when it treated Rauw’s career as an unfinished experiment. The show used the familiar ingredients of his story — Puerto Rico, New York, the Nuyorican diaspora, dance, theatricality, genre-crossing and an instinct for spectacle — but placed them inside a structure that made transformation the point.

At Forest Hills, Rauw was not just revisiting the inspirations, hits and eras that brought him here — he was demonstrating that every new chapter requires another leap. “I’m still in a creative process after Cosa Nuestra, which was a huge tour,” he said. “I’m taking my time to find that inspiration again, to keep studying and see what the muse tells me is next — which direction I should go.”

Rod Wave earns his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as Don’t Look Down debuts atop the list dated Sept. 12. The set earned 99,000 equivalent album units in the United States in its first week, ending Sept. 3, according to Luminate, largely driven by streaming activity. He previously led the list with Nostalgia (in 2023), Beautiful Mind (2022) and SoulFly (2021).

Also in the top 10, Alex Warren notches his second top 10 and highest-charted set yet as WILDCHILD opens at No. 2.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Sept. 12, 2026-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Sept. 9 (a day later than usual due to the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. on Sept 7). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram.

Of Don’t Look Down’s 99,000 first-week equivalent album units, SEA units comprise 90,000 (equaling 95.07 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it debuts at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 9,000 (it debuts at No. 13 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

The album was released as a 20-track standard, widely available CD and vinyl LP, alongside an expanded 24-track digital download and streaming edition. For its physical release, it was issued across six vinyl variants (including two signed editions) and two CD variants (one signed).

Don’t Look Down was preceded by a trio of top 40-charted titles on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: “Hustle” (No. 13 peak in August), “Piece of Your Love” (No. 24 in July) and “Feed the Streets” (No. 33 in February).

Don’t Look Down marks the singer-rapper’s eighth top 10-charted project on the Billboard 200, comprising the entirety of his charted titles. His first top 10 came with Ghetto Gospel in 2019, peaking at No. 10 that November.

At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Alex Warren notches his highest-charted album as his second full-length studio album, WILDCHILD, debuts with 75,000 equivalent album units earned — his best week ever by units. Of that sum, album sales comprise 55,000 (his best sales week — it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 20,000 (equaling 20.74 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 25 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

Warren previously hit the top 10 with his debut effort, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, which peaked at No. 5 in August 2025.

The new album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 13 vinyl variants (two of them signed), five CD variants (two signed), three download editions (two with bonus tracks) and a cassette.

WILDCHILD was preceded by three charted songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Passenger” (No. 100 in June), “Fine Place To Die” (No. 87 in May) and the radio-promoted single “Fever Dream” (No. 21 in March).

Four former No. 1s follow Warren on the latest Billboard 200. Ella Langley’s Dandelion dips 2-3 (a little more than 67,000 equivalent album units earned, down 3%); Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love falls 3-4 (67,000, down less than 1%); Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem slips 4-5 (60,000, down 4%); and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide rises 7-6 (53,000, down 1%).

Dolly Parton’s Ultimate Dolly Parton falls two spots to No. 7, after reentering at a new peak of No. 5 a week ago following her death on Aug. 25. In the most recent tracking week, the set earned 45,000 equivalent album units (down 23%).

Drake’s former No. 1 ICEMAN rises 9-8 with 39,000 equivalent album units (down 5%); Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving steps 12-9 with 38,000 units (down 3%); and Karol G’s No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto rebounds to the top 10, climbing 16-10 with 36,000 units (up 7%). The latter is benefitting from its track “BbY WOW,” with rusowsky and Judeline. The song surged 34-16 on the Streaming Songs chart dated Sept. 5.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Sabrina Carpenter won her first Primetime Emmy on Saturday (Sept. 5), night one of the Creative Arts Emmys, when The Muppet Show took the award for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded).

Carpenter won as an executive producer and performer of the Disney+ special, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the debut of the beloved TV series (which went on the air 23 years before Carpenter was born).

The other nominees in the category were Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Disney+), Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable… (Netflix), Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu) and Wicked: One Wonderful Night (NBC).

This marks the second time Carpenter has beaten Taylor Swift for an EGOT-level award. Her Short n’ Sweet won best pop vocal album in February 2025, beating Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department. That night, Carpenter also won best pop solo performance for “Espresso,” though Swift wasn’t nominated in that category.

Swift’s Eras Tour was the top-grossing tour in history, but The Muppet Show was a salute to a classic TV show. It’s easy to see its appeal to a body of voters who, after all, work in the TV industry.

Carpenter is now halfway to EGOT status, but then so is Swift. She won a juried award in 2015 — outstanding creative achievement in interactive media — original interactive program as artist and executive producer of AMEX Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience. And Swift will likely soon be three-quarters of the way to EGOT status. She is considered the front-runner to win the Oscar for best original song on March 14 for “I Knew It, I Knew You” from Toy Story 5.

The Muppet Show won three other awards on Saturday: outstanding writing for a variety special, outstanding production design for a variety special and outstanding picture editing for variety program.

Only three programs won more Emmys than The Muppets on night one of the Creative Arts Emmys. The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny won seven, followed by The Traitors with six and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with five.

Seth Rogen also won as executive producer of The Muppet Show special, as did fellow executive producers David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter, Michael Steinbach, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee, Matt Vogel, Eric Jacobson, Albertina Rizzo and Alex Timbers. Ryan Janata won as co-executive producer and Dani Iglesias as producer.

The Muppet Show has one more nomination at night two of the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday (Sept. 6): outstanding character voice-over performance for Matt Vogel as Kermit the Frog.

A total of 49 categories were presented on Saturday. A total of 53 categories will be presented on night two of the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday. Just 19 categories will be presented on the live Emmy telecast, set for Monday, Sept. 14.

The Creative Arts Emmys are not telecast or streamed but highlights from the two ceremonies will air on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. PT on FXX. The program will be available to stream on Hulu starting the next day.

The 78th Emmy Awards telecast, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, will air live coast-to-coast on NBC on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. It will also stream on Peacock.

More than a dozen concertgoers were hospitalized following The Chainsmokers’ recent Bay Area show.

Fourteen people were transported to local hospitals during and after the electronic duo’s outdoor concert at Discovery Meadow in San Jose, California, on Friday (Sept. 4), according to police and the San Jose Fire Department (SJFD).

“At 8:22 p.m. on Friday, September 4, the San José Fire Department responded to an outdoor concert at Discovery Meadow for reports of multiple patients requiring medical attention,” the SJFD wrote on X.

The fire department continued, “SJFD immediately requested an Ambulance Task Force, two additional advanced life support fire units, and a Battalion Chief to manage the incident and provide additional medical resources. A total of 14 ambulances responded, and 14 patients were transported to local hospitals.”

At least 10 attendees were taken to the hospital during the final 30 minutes of the show, according to ABC 7. Paramedics treated other concertgoers at the venue as the medical response continued through the end of the concert.

The SJFD did not specify why concertgoers required medical attention, but police told NBC Bay Area that those hospitalized were experiencing a variety of medical concerns, including “suspected alcohol intoxication and drug-related issues.”

No arrests were reported, according to SFGate.

The Chainsmokers had not publicly addressed the situation at press time. Billboard has reached out to the group’s representatives for comment.

The Chainsmokers’ Alex Pall and Drew Taggart released the five-song EP LOVE IS KIND in May and had a busy summer, with appearances at EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza, Tomorrowland and Palm Tree Music Festival.

The pair took the stage at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Beach Club on Saturday morning (Sept. 5) as part of their long-term residency at the venue.

The Gallagher brothers of Oasis brought some rock star energy to a sleepy, and sweaty, Venice Film Festival Saturday (Sept. 5), where the documentary about their reunion tour made its world premiere. And like true rock stars, after giving a few waves for photographers on the Lido docks, they skipped the whole “news conference” bit.

Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, is part concert film and part exploration of the contentious relationship between Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, whose long-held feud led to Oasis disbanding in 2009 in spectacularly theatrical fashion after a backstage altercation moments before they were due on stage in Paris.

Noel infamously said his brother is “the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.”

Liam told the Guardian in 2018 that his brother “did me out, mate, he threw me under the (expletive) bus, and I won’t forget that. He split the band up and it meant the world to me. Just to further his career.”

The band was founded in working-class Manchester, England, in 1991, and became one of the most popular British acts of the 1990s, hitting No. 1 with their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. Their 1995 follow up, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? became one of the U.K.’s bestselling albums of all time.

The film looks at the phenomenon of Oasis and the prickly personalities behind the hit songs, most of which were written by the elder Gallagher brother, Noel, from “Wonderwall” to “Live Forever.” It includes never-before-seen rehearsals (where everyone tenses as Liam walks in) and what was, then at least, their first joint interview in 25 years.

In 2025, the brothers ended a 16-year hiatus with a reunion tour that kicked off in Cardiff, Wales to an ecstatic, all-ages crowd of more than 60,000. Many worried that like in Paris in 2009, it might not actually happen. But the show went on, with former Oasis members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitar, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Joey Waronker.

The Associated Press wrote at the time that songs like “Supersonic” and “Roll With It,” “sounded as thunderous as ever and sparked mass sing-alongs.”

Steven Knight, who is credited as the writer of the documentary, said he and Noel wanted to explore the question of why the music endured, not just with fans who experienced it in the ’90s but with the next generation as well that culminated in such intense demand for reunion tour tickets.

Filmmakers Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace spoke to the brothers separately before the rehearsals had started, and then together while the tour was in full swing, to reflect the true progression of the relationship.

“We set out to make a film about the reconciliation of two brothers, infamous for their volatile relationship, but we also wanted to make a film about the power of music and the way Oasis’ songs have continued to have a life of their own, as the band lay dormant for 15 years,” the filmmakers said in their directors’ statement. “The documentary, like the reunion and the tour, took on a life of its own.”

The filmmakers said their goal was to make their cameras and presence invisible to the band during rehearsals. At the concerts, they wanted to make the audience feel like they were there as well. The film also focuses on various fans from around the world.

“Sometimes you might just bump into someone with a dog called Bonehead and that becomes part of the story,” Southern said.

Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger will be in theaters shortly after the festival. Disney is giving Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger an IMAX release on Sept. 11, and it’s expected to arrive on the Disney+ streaming service later this year.