Only two days before it was set to kick off, Country Thunder Alberta in Calgary has been cancelled.

Headliners for the June 26-28 festival were The Red Clay Strays, Kane Brown and Lainey Wilson, with the bill also including Cameron Whitcomb, Tyler Hubbard, Ian Munsick, Mark Chesnutt, Noeline Hofmann and Elizabeth Nichols, among others.

Organizers posted on social media on Wednesday (June 24), “Today, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Country Thunder Alberta 2026,” citing issues with the city of Calgary for the late cancellation. “Active construction, loss of critical infrastructure and a restrictive noise bylaw made safe and enjoyable execution of the festival impossible,” the post stated, noting that the festival had been in contact with the city to resolve the challenges, but have not been able to.

The festival was still touting its arrival on socials as recently as Tuesday (June 23), posting images of the main stage and trucks loading in equipment.

Organizers went into more detail on the festival website. “For several months, Country Thunder has been in direct communication with the City of Calgary in an effort to resolve a series of escalating infrastructure and regulatory challenges tied to the new arena development. Despite sustained advocacy, the following conditions remain unresolved,” the statement said, listing several impediments, including the installation of a water bypass pipe that made sections of the festival site unusable. Scotia Place, a $1.2 billion event center that will be the new home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, is under construction and will open in fall, 2027.

“We do not take this decision lightly,” said Kim Blevins, Country Thunder’s executive director, in a statement on the site. “Our fans travel from across the country to be part of this experience and we owe them an event they can enjoy fully. The city-driven conditions in Calgary this year make that impossible. Proceeding would have meant compromising on not only safety but also the fan experience and that is not something we are willing to do. We want our fans to feel the music, lose themselves in it and leave having had the experience they paid for. The new sound limitations placed on this event would not have allowed us to deliver that experience.”

All fans will receive a full refund.

Country Thunder Alberta is one of five festivals under the Country Thunder banner. The other festivals take place in Florence, Arizona; Clearwater, Florida; Craven, Saskatchewan and Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.

Bailey Zimmerman is off the hook after allegedly trashing a hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The country artist had been facing federal and criminal misdemeanor charges after he allegedly caused $16,000 in damage to his room, including the television, phone, coffee table and two chairs, as well as marks on the walls and stains on the carpet. According to TMZ, which first reported the news, which Billboard independently verified, the hotel also alleged that the singer charged more than $400 in alcohol to his hotel room, but the tab was not settled.

Charges have since been dropped, and the case dismissed because full restitution was made, reports KRQE, quoting the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.

As previously reported, Zimmerman had been scheduled to perform at an amphitheater at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque on May 27, but according to TMZ, authorities noted the singer seemed to be intoxicated, stumbling and acting hostilely, as well as throwing stage equipment during soundcheck. The outlet reported that Zimmerman left the soundcheck, returned to the resort and canceled the show.

According to the title, Zimmerman was ultimately evicted due to his behavior, but the hotel called police to escort the singer off the premises when he allegedly refused to leave in a courtesy bus.

Zimmerman went on to apologize for the incident. “To the Pueblo of Sandia and my fans: I want to address the events surrounding my canceled show in New Mexico in May and the reports that have followed,” he wrote in a statement, seen by Billboard. “First things first, I want to apologize to the Pueblo of Sandia and to everyone at Sandia Resort & Casino. I never meant for any of this to come across as disrespectful. I am deeply sorry for my actions that transpired. I respect your community and the hospitality and appreciate the opportunity that was given to me to perform on Native Land. I take full accountability for everything that happened and I am sorry to anyone who feels hurt or disrespected.”

The message continued, “To my fans who bought tickets and showed up expecting a performance, I am so sorry, you deserved better from me. I understand that being a musician comes with big responsibilities, both on and off stage, and I know that I fell short that day. I am reflecting on the disappointment and concern that I caused.” 

He insisted he was “taking this legal matter seriously. I am committed to doing the work necessary to learn and grow. Thank you to my fans for holding me accountable and for understanding that I am human. I do not take your support for granted.”

Zimmerman’s next scheduled concert is Thursday evening, June 25 at the Country Drive Music Festival in Ashland, Nebraska.

RÜFÜS DU SOL will carve out another slice of history this week when the EDM act parks at Madison Square Garden, arguably the world’s most famous arena.

The Australian trio will set a new benchmark on Thursday, June 25 with the first of four consecutive sold-out shows — the most by an electronic artist at MSG, and the most tickets sold at the venue by an electronic artist.

RDS has been burning the history books of late. As previously reported, their Inhale / Exhale World Tour is recognized as the highest-selling electronic tour of all time, and multiple record-setter in Australia and New Zealand.

The Sydneysiders completed their 2025 Australia tour last November with the third of three sold-out hometown shows at Afterpay Arena (then known as Qudos Bank Arena), the country’s biggest arena, for 150,000 tickets sold across the country, lifting their overall tally to 750,000 headline tickets for the year.

Along the way, the trio became just the second Aussie act, after AC/DC, and first electronic outfit to headline Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, and played a string of high-profile festival spots, including Chicago’s Lollapalooza. All up, the lads played to some 1.5 million fans worldwide on the Inhale / Exhale World Tour, according to concert promoters Live Nation and independent Melbourne events specialist Untitled Group, which awarded the Sydneysiders with a commemorative plaque.

There will be more massive moments for RDS’ Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt in the weeks ahead, including a headline spot to over 60,000 music fans Saturday, July 4 at Mexico City’s Foro Sol. This current tour has also seen RDS wind their way through a circuit of iconic baseball stadiums, including Chicago’s Wrigley Field (The Cubs), Boston’s Fenway Park (Red Sox), and San Diego’s Petco Park (Padres).

The ongoing North America ’26 trek is in support of 2024’s Inhale / Exhale (Rose Avenue Records / Warner Music Australasia), their fifth studio album, which opened its account at No. 3 on the ARIA Chart, continuing a podium finish for all their recordings in Australia. Along with that swag of historic moments, RDS have won four career ARIA Awards and six Grammy Award nominations, with a win in 2022 for best dance/electronic recording with “Alive.”

Boosie Badazz’s federal probation supervisors say he should spend a year and a half in prison after his most recent arrest for allegedly assaulting someone with a glass hookah.

The rapper (Torence Hatch) was exposed to possible prison time last year after pleading guilty in federal court to illegally owning a gun after earlier felony convictions. In January, however, a judge exercised leniency and sentenced him to three years of supervised release instead.

Now, the U.S. Probation Office says Boosie has “failed to capitalize on the opportunity afforded by the court.” The agency claims in a Wednesday (June 24) petition that Boosie violated his supervised release by allegedly smashing a man in the head with a glass hookah at a Houston nightclub in May.

Boosie is facing a state-level aggravated assault charge for that alleged incident in Texas. Generally, it’s considered a violation of supervised release for anybody to commit another state, local or federal crime while on probation.

The Probation Office further alleges that Boosie broke the rules by making that trip to Texas from his home state of Georgia without permission, as well as by testing positive for marijuana, a federally illegal substance, during a recent drug screening. Because of all this, authorities say Boosie should have his no-jail sentence revoked and replaced with an 18-month prison term.

“His conduct demonstrates a disregard for the court’s authority and unwillingness to comply with the expectations established to facilitate a successful transition to the community,” reads the Wednesday court filing. “Additionally, his history reflects longstanding involvement in a criminal lifestyle beginning at a young age. This lifestyle has continued to expose him to high-risk situations and criminogenic influences, including violence, weapons possession, antisocial peer associations, and illegal substance use.”

The Probation Office says this recommended federal sentence should be consecutive with any possible punishment he receives in the Houston assault case. Boosie is currently out on bail in that matter and next scheduled to appear in court in September.

Boosie denied violating his supervised release in a Wednesday post on X, in which the rapper said he did have permission to travel to Houston, and that he’s been “crystal clean” of drugs since beginning probation.

“IM NOT STUPID. MY probation officer has been fair to me throughout this process. it’s the people over him who have problems with me,” wrote Boosie in the post. “I will not sit back n let these people drag my name. I have several hours of community service completed. I’ve been doing great on federal probation. Me n my attorneys r working to get this other case dismissed.”

Boosie, who’s previously done prison time for drug charges, has faced this current federal case since 2023 for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The details of his arrest were unusual; after local authorities spotted a handgun tucked into Boosie’s waistband while monitoring the Instagram feed of a “known gang member” in San Diego, they used a helicopter to track him in real-time and then found a Glock pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

Following years of procedural ups and downs, the case against Boosie was scheduled for a trial last summer. But in August, the rapper said he would accept a plea deal because he was “tired of fighting.”