The 50th annual Macy’s 4th of July fireworks special will feature a stacked lineup of artists taking the stage in New York, with sets on tap from Post Malone, Noah Kahan, Salt-N-Pepa, Bebe Rexha, Shaboozey and Blake Shelton.

The performances will air live on NBC — and stream simultaneously on Peacock from 8-10 p.m. EST— with the Associated Press reporting that the celebration will feature a massive fireworks display featuring 85,000 shells in 30 colors shot from six barges and a new laser show mounted on the Brooklyn Bridge. Deadline added that the 27-minute fireworks show’s score is being produced by Grammy-winning composer Jason Howland, with The Voice season 29 winner Alexia Jayy slated to perform during the fireworks display. The show will air live to tape in the Central, Mountain and Pacific times, with a Spanish language simulcast airing on Telemundo started at 8 p.m. EST.

“Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks delivers the largest Independence Day celebration in the nation through a show-stopping spectacle that reminds us of the power of connection and shared experience,” said the show’s executive producer, Will Coss, in a statement. “We’re proud to honor our 50th Fireworks with an expanded show, never-before-seen effects and music’s biggest stars for a truly unforgettable celebration.”

In addition, NBC said the soundtrack to the display is “inspired by the enduring spirit of America” and “reimagines the iconic sounds of more than 50 years of beloved summer classics.” This year’s 4th of July broadcast also coincides with the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th anniversary on Independence Day, which will also feature the America’s Block Party event at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum featuring Chris Stapleton and the Smashing Pumpkins and the White House’s Salute to America 250 celebration and fireworks display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

After a thrilling win in their opening match at the FIFA World Cup, England fans serenaded their team with an epic singalong to Oasis’ “Wonderwall” on Wednesday (June 18) England kicked off their FIFA World Cup campaign in Dallas, Texas against Croatia, winning 4-2 in a match that puts them at the top of their group, ahead of Ghana, who also won their opening game against Panama.

The match was one of the tournament’s strongest opening round performances, with Harry Kane scoring twice alongside goals by Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford. England lead twice in the first half before being pegged back by sublime efforts by Croatia’s Martin Baturina and Petar Musa.

Following the conclusion of the match, the England team were serenaded with a rendition of Oasis’ 1995 track “Wonderwall” with players Anthony Gordon, Bellingham and Kane showing signs of emotion as the song was roared back to them by the Three Lion supporters.

A clip shared by BBC Sport on Instagram was reposted by both Oasis’ and Liam Gallagher’s main social accounts. Watch it here.

Oasis’ connection with football runs deep, with both Gallagher brothers being avid supporters of their local team Manchester City F.C.

While no official anthem has been released for England’s campaign for the 2026 tournament, a number of old classics associated with the team have been revived by supporters, including “Three Lions” by The Lightning Seeds and Baddiel & Skinner, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond and “Freed from Desire” by Gala. England’s in-stadium goal music for the tournament – played after each score – is “Chase The Sun” by Planet Funk, a song that was popularized by the U.K.’s rowdy darts tournaments.

England’s next match will be held in Boston against Ghana on Tuesday (June 23) before moving onto the New York New Jersey Stadium to round out Group L’s action against Panama the following Saturday.

When Post Malone stopped by Toronto’s Rogers Stadium on Tuesday night, June 16, he didn’t just give a shout out to his buddy Oliver Tree. He dedicated the full show to the late artist, and poured one out on the runway.

“I feel like tonight will be, for me, a celebration of the life of an absolutely beautiful, beautiful man,” Posty says in a video shot at the show (see below).

Holding back tears, Malone continued: “A gentlemen I knew and was so beautiful, and inspired the world with his art, and just his heart and his soul. Ladies and gentlemen, we lost a beautiful soul named Oliver Tree.”

Earlier, Tree reportedly died following a helicopter crash in Brazil. He was 32. The genre-blending singer, songwriter and producer was among six people killed when two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (June 14).

Tree, whose full name was Oliver Tree Nickell, was traveling through South America as part of his World’s First World Tour.

Malone made his Toronto show a celebration of Tree, who released his fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, in April of this year.

“I just want you to know dude that we love you so very much, we love you brother,” Malone remarked. “We’re just gonna have a great night and celebrate this gentleman.” After a pause, he let the beer flow by pouring his drink onto the stage.

Born on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California, Tree launched his music career with the EP, Demons, in 2013. He gained wider attention with the 2016 single “When I’m Down,” which helped lead to a deal with Atlantic Records the following year.

His full-length albums included 2020’s Ugly Is Beautiful, 2022’s Cowboy Tears, and 2023’s Alone in a Crowd.

Known for his signature bowl haircut, heavy dark glasses and eccentric persona, Tree landed hits with “Life Goes On,” which peaked at No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in 2022, and “Miss You,” his collaboration with Robin Schulz, which reached No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022.

Melanie Martinez shared her own statement on Tree, whom the alt-pop singer-songwriter dated a few years ago. Martinez began a Sunday (June 14) Instagram Stories post by writing that she’d “been an absolute wreck” since the news of the fatal helicopter crash had reached her. “It’s really hard to understand how someone who you once shared such a specific and formative time of your life with can all of a sudden be gone,” she shared. “He was so dedicated to his art which I admired and respected so deeply.”

The North American leg of Posty’s Big Ass Stadium Tour ends on Tuesday, July 28 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, before he travels to Asia and Australia for dates during the rest of 2026.

The arrival of Rosalía‘s Lux Tour in New York has generated excitement not only for the acclaimed show — a fully mesmerizing performance from start to finish — but also for its small surprises. On Wednesday (June 17), during her second of two nights at the Madison Square Garden, the Spanish superstar invited her “queridisísimo” (dearest) Marcello Hernandez on stage for the segment before “La Perla”: a confessional where notable figures are encouraged to speak candidly.

“Marcello, you know we’re here — you can speak in Spanish, in English, however you like. But it’s very important to tell the truth here,” Rosalía told the Cuban-Dominican American comedian, better known for his work on Saturday Night Live. “So, is there something you’d like to confess?”

“Bueno, I have a story I’ve never said before. Something that happened to me 10 years ago,” Hernandez began in a mix of English and Spanish, piquing the interest of the singer and the audience.

“I was 18, 19. I was just starting my career, and it was Valentine’s Day,” he continued. “I invited a lady over for dinner at my apartment.”

“Did you cook?” Rosalía asked in her role as the priestess.

“I cooked. I was using a YouTube tutorial. I set the table: fork, knife, spoon — formal. I bought two bottles of wine with my fake ID. I committed a crime for this lady! One wine for the meal, another wine to drink. I made the effort,” Hernandez recounted with his characteristic comedic timing.

But things didn’t go as he expected. “She told me she was on the way,” he went on. “Then, she told me she was a little bit late. And then, she told me she was really late… And then I drank a bottle of wine on FaceTime with my mom,” he concluded, making the audience burst into laughter.

The skit served as an introduction to the song “La Perla,” a phrase that is used sarcastically to describe someone with bad behavior or who causes trouble. While his story in the confessional illustrated an old “pearl” in his life, Hernandez made sure to end on a positive note, adding that his current partner “is a diamond.”

The comedian’s appearance in Rosalía’s confessional followed that of American singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, who on Tuesday night (June 16) shared that she once dated a man she later found out was her friend’s friend’s boyfriend. Read the full review of that show here.

Rosalía’s Lux Tour, in support of her highly praised 2025 album of the same name, continues on Saturday (June 20) in Chicago, followed by stops in Houston, Las Vegas and other U.S. cities. After postponing the first dates of the North American leg of the tour due to a family emergency, her Florida shows will now take place on Sept. 9 at the KIA Center in Orlando and on Sept. 14 and 16 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Tom Dreesen, the showbiz veteran and standup comedian who, for 13 years, toured the United States as the opening act for Frank Sinatra, died Wednesday, June 17 at the age of 86.

A post on his Facebook reads: “My sister and I regret to inform you that our father passed away at 5:50 this morning. He wanted you all to know how much joy you brought him through the years. He said to tell you that he loved you all. May he rest in peace.”

Dreesen died at his home in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter. No cause of death was revealed.

Born Sept. 11, 1939, in Harvey, Illinois, Dreesen made them laugh in the aisles for more than 50 years, delivering his standup routines to millions watching at home, by way of 500-plus appearances on national TV. Over time, he made regular appearances on stage in Las Vegas, Tahoe, Reno, and Atlantic City, working the crowds for such artists as Smokey Robinson, Liza Minnelli, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Dreesen recounted his journey to the spotlight in the autobiography Still Standing, a tale that began in humble fashion as a youngster shining shoes in dark saloons on the south side of the Windy City.

It was his close friendship with Ol’ Blue Eyes that gave Dreesen some of his enduring content. He apparently had countless stories, the stuff no one else had. And he was willing to share. During an interview at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, the funnyman recounted Sinatra’s twilight years, and one particular lapse that threatened to force the legendary entertainer into a retirement he wasn’t entirely prepared for.

“There’s like 20,000 people in the arena, and I did my thing and it was a good audience,” Dreesen explained. “He went out and did three songs. He was rolling. And then he got on the fourth song and he totally blanked on the lyrics. The orchestra was down in the pit and they kept playing, not knowing that he was lost. And he started whispering into the microphone, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.’”

What happened next could form the backbone of a feature film. “And a guy way up at the top of the audience stood up by himself, and he hollered out, ‘That’s all right, Frank! It’s all right because we love you!’ And he started to applaud. And the guy next to him started to applaud, and then hundreds of people started to applaud and then thousands. And pretty soon, the whole arena was cheering and cheering.”

And with that, the Chairman of the Board got wind in his sails. Game on. The legendary entertainment launched into the next number, “Mack the Knife,” and “he absolutely drilled that song. He hit every nuance and every lyric. It was like he was 19 years old again.” Sinatra died May 14, 1998, aged 82. Dreesen served as a pall bearer and spoke at Sinatra’s funeral, and for years kept the flame burning by hosting the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Black Tie Gala.

Dreesen also addressed the elephant that still lingers in the room — was Sinatra in the mob? “The interesting thing about Frank Sinatra,” he says in an interview, posted on his YouTube channel, “aside from his enormous talent as an actor, aside from his enormous talent as a singer, aside from all these things, he had that mystique. Was he in the mob? Was he connected to the mob? They’re constantly showing pictures of him with the mob. Did he know those guys?” Well, of course he met them, Dreesen goes on to say, paraphrasing Sinatra. But he didn’t know them.

Dreesen is also remembered for the more serious side of his work. He advocated for fellow stand-up comics to get remunerated at The Comedy Store and formed a trailblazing interracial act with Tim Reid.

“Tom was the first comedian I met at Comedy Store in 1975,” former Late Night host David Letterman remarked in a social post. “We became friends immediately. He had wisdom and endless stories. Everyone admired him, looked up to him and wondered if he ever stopped talking. He never did, he never will.  We love him for that. We’ll miss the stories. God bless you Tom.”

Get ready to flip out: G Flip will take their Bed On Fire tour through North America this summer.

The Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist launches the trek off the back of “Bed On Fire,” which too is on fire after it was synced in Amazon’s Off Campus series. G Flip’s latest coast-to-coast visit gets underway Aug. 4 at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, and will include dates in Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Nashville, and elsewhere.

Also, G will headline Chicago Pride on June 21, and perform at Brighton Pride on Aug. 1, before supporting Robbie Williams’ BRITPOP Australian stadiums jaunt this November.

It’s been another hot run for the multiple ARIA Award-winning Sydney artist, who recorded the official song for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and performed a mini-set at the soccer tournament’s grant final.

Since then, “Bed On Fire” has been sizzling. On the latest ARIA Singles Chart, it has snagged a new peak position, up 33-28; the cut sits at No. 2 on Billboard’s Alternative Digital Song Sales chart; and it crashed Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally, with a peak of No. 46.

Following the premiere of Off Campus in May, the tune has seen total streams surge by more than 650%, according to reps, with over 86% of its lifetime streams generated during that period. Total worldwide streams have flown by 20 million.

G has been in record-setting form in their homeland, where in early 2024, they established a then-record by landing a total of seven songs in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown, including the No. 2 ranked track, “The Worst Person in the World”. That bettered the mark previously held by rock trio Wolfmother, which scored six entries in a countdown two decades earlier, in 2005 (Charli xcx and Billie Eilish have since raised the bar, with eight entries each).

Earlier, in 2023, G landed a first ARIA No. 1 album with DRUMMER, released via Future Classic/Universal (their debut from 2019, About Us, peaked at No. 6), and bagged two ARIA Awards.

“Bed On Fire” appears on their third studio album, Dream Ride (via AWAL Recordings), which G described as their “little ‘80s Butch Springsteen fantasy.” Dream Ride motored to No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart last September.

The general ticket onsale for the Bed On Fire tour starts today, June 18 at 10am. Visit gflipmusic.com/tour for more.

2026 Bed On Fire Tour:

Aug. 4 — Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

Aug. 6 — The Sinclair, Boston, MA

Aug. 7 — Le Studio TD, Montreal, QC

Aug. 8 — Mod Club, Toronto, ON

Aug. 10 — Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL

Aug. 18 — The Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

Aug. 20 — The Independent, San Francisco, CA

Aug. 22 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

Aug. 24 – Vancouver,  BC – Hollywood Theatre

As should be expected, Stewart Copeland is spending a fair amount of time talking and answering questions about the Police during his current spoken word tour of North America. And he’s pleased to report that he, Sting and Andy Summers “get along just fine” these days, even in the midst of a lawsuit over royalties.

“We’re not (in court). The bean counters are, somewhere over in London,” the group’s drummer tells Billboard. “For me it’s, ‘Lemme know how it works out…’”

Copeland and Summers sued Sting in England last year, claiming that under band songwriting agreements dating back to the Police’s formation in 1977 they are owed $2 million in unpaid royalties. Summers, in fact, has been particularly outspoken in feeling he should have received a songwriting credit for the Grammy Award-winning 1983 smash “Every Breath You Take.” The case has made its way to the U.K.’s High Court; records indicate Sting has paid his former bandmates $870,000, but Copeland and Summers are still seeking the rest of the claim.

Copeland, however, says he still talks to Sting, about “kids, Instagram memes, bullshit… I’m happy that we get along just fine, and we know way. It’s not because of satanic impulses or any of the human infirmities of jealousy, greed, pride, whatever. It’s because we had a spell where our music universes overlapped and we created some incredible stuff. We really achieved everything we needed to achieve. Really, as I’ve been saying a lot recently, ol’ Sting-O and I, we make music for different reasons, and it has a different place in our lives. So we get along great as long as we’re not trying to make music together.”

The Police was together between 1977-1984, releasing five studio albums capped by 1983’s eight-times platinum Synchronicity, which has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The trio reunited for three concerts on Amnesty International’s A Conspiracy of Hope tour in 1986 and a 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, then for a global reunion tour during 2007-2008, assisted by band therapy according to Copeland. “We had professionals come along and straighten us out; I guess their day job was probably, like marriage counseling,” he recalls. “It worked so well after our session the business suits said, ‘Hey guys, let’s put another six months on the tour!’ ‘Sure!’

“It was actually a lot of fun — a lot of misery and a lot of fun at the same time. But after two years of it, we were all read to get back to our central mission.”

That’s been busy multi-media careers for all three of the Police men — in Copeland’s case forays into opera and classical composition, film and video game scoring, filmmaking and writing. He’s the subject of a new documentary, Copeland, which premieres June 19 at the Raindance Film Festival in London, and is writing another opera that’s “kind of under wraps until it will be revealed to the world.” He’s also expanding his touring Police Deranged for Orchestra repertoire to include other songs from his career. “Instead of just the Police it will be the entire world f***ed up,” Copeland says.

Despite what sounds like a full docket, however, Copeland considers himself “fully retired” from music — at least in a commercial sense. “I’ve had a career in music; it worked out well. Now I just do it for kicks and put (music) up on YouTube for folks to enjoy, without any agenda. I’m not chasing the charts; if I make a record, it’s probably gonna cost me money. You can’t make a living writing opera, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Copeland has also written another book — publication details still TBA — that he describes as “a guide to living the life with people chasing you for autographs, with interviews asking you pointed questions, with all the stuff that goes with rock ‘n’ roll celebrity, all the weirdness. ‘Cause it’s a very weird place. It’s not normal; people don’t treat musicians the same way they treat dentists, even though dentists are far more important for their health. Inhabiting that weird world on that precarious pedestal is a strange thing.” He’s interviewed therapists and other musicians for the book, including Kiss’ Gene Simmons and Carly Simon.

The latter, in fact, gave Copeland “one little weirdness” of a story, from the making of her second album, Anticipation, in London during the summer of 1971. “I get into band dynamics (in the book), and I was talking to her about the phenomenon about romance in a band, like Fleetwood Mac, like ‘How does that work?’ And she says, ‘When I was recording (Anticipation) in London and feeling all the mojo and all the excitement… with these incredible musicians, staying at this beautiful house near Hyde Park and recording by day, and at night with all the musicians, I f***ed them all.’ I said, ‘Can I put that in the book?’ ‘Sure’ — she didn’t use the F-bomb, but, I mean, it’s pretty amazing.

“And the dynamic was clear. By day they’re making music, which is very emotionally engaging, very tense, and the natural result of all that manifested itself by night, and then the next day they would make the music of love, and it was even bigger than her first album.”

Clearly, then, Copeland has plenty of fodder for his Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood and Other Adventures shows. He launched the multi-media presentation last year in the United Kingdom and began an extensive North American run earlier this month, with dates booked into early August and another leg during October and November. “I’m telling these wild stories I have, instead of to just one person or a dinner table, to a room full of people,” Copeland says. “And getting laughs is kind of fun. I never imagined that would be in my career path, but I’m having a great time doing it.”

In addition to his prepared remarks he also answers written audience questions, submitted to a bucket in the venue lobbies.

“My favorite one, which got the biggest laugh of the evening, was, ‘What hotel are you staying in tonight?’” he recalls. “That got a bigger laugh than any of my gags, goddammit.’ And then when the laughter died down, the rest of the question says, ‘Because I need to know where to pick up my mom in the morning.’” Copeland’s answer? The Four Seasons, Milwaukee — even though he was in Dublin, Ireland at the time.

“My life is an open book,” Copeland notes. “There’s no uncomfortable subjects, really — in fact, the more discomfort, the more you can milk it for laughs. I’m really enjoying this.”

Upcoming dates on Copeland’s Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood and Other Adventures tour:

June 18 — Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA
June 20 — Presidio Theatre, San Francisco, CA
June 25 — Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver, BC
June 27 — Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR
June 28 — Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
July 6-7 — The Kate (Second show), Old Saybrook, CT
July 9 — City Winery, Boston, MA
July 10 — The Waldo Theatre, Waldoboro, ME
July 11 — BNH Stage, Concord, NH
July 12 — Greenwich Odeum, East Greenwich, RI
July 14 — The Paramount, Huntington, NY
July 16 — South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, NJ
July 17 — Daryl’s House Club, Pawling, NY
July 18 — The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, PA
July 19 — The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
July 21 — Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD
July 22 — Palace Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
July 24 — The Kent Stage, Kent, OH
July 25 — Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, OH
July 28 — The Parkway Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
July 30 — Vivarium, Milwaukee, WI
July 31 — North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL
Aug. 1 — Wealthy Theatre, Grand Rapids, MI
Aug. 2 — Tarkington, Carmel, IN
Aug. 4 — City Winery, Nashville, TN
Aug. 6 — Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount, VA
Aug. 7 — The Beacon Theatre, Hopewell, VA
Oct. 28 — Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks, CA
Oct. 30 — Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ
Nov. 1 — Rose Wagner Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
Nov. 3 — Boulder Theatre, Boulder, CO
Nov. 4 — Holiday Theatre, Denver, CO
Nov. 6 — The Admiral, Omaha, NE
Nov. 7 — Granada Theater, Lawrence, KS
Nov. 8 — Wildey Theatre, Edwardsville, IL
Nov. 10 — Magic Bag, Detroit MI
Nov. 12 — Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer, NY
Nov. 13 — Bethel Woods Event Gallery, Bethal, NY
Nov. 15 — Spruce Peak Performing Arts, Stowe, VT
Nov. 17 — Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA
Nov. 18 — Elkton Music Hall, Elkton, MD
Nov. 20 — Appell Center for Performing Arts, York, PA
Nov. 22 — Carolina Theatre, Charlotte, NC