All articles tagged with #live performance
Phil Collins says he’s healthier now and would contemplate performing live again, but isn’t fit to play the Rock Hall of Fame ceremony this year; he has faced knee surgeries and kidney issues from drinking and is two years sober, while hinting at studio work and new material.
Kacey Musgraves made her ACM Awards debut with a playful, risqué performance of “Dry Spell” from Middle of Nowhere, opening on a washing machine and then moving through a cheeky grocery-store setup with suggestive signage; the country-leaning album was released May 1, 2026, and although she has seven ACM wins, she isn’t nominated this year as the ceremony features other performers.
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Requiem reconfigures the Mayhem Ball into a moody, synth-driven, intimate show filmed for Apple Music. Stripping back dancers and spectacle, it centers the music and mood as she reinvents the era, performing largely with back to the audience, and closing with “Die With a Smile” as an electronic march. The hour-long set at the Wiltern, later streamed as Apple Music Live, marks a focused, craft-first chapter in her ongoing reinvention.
Olivia Rodrigo, hosting her SNL episode, premiered an unreleased ballad titled 'begged' on a swing as part of her second SNL performance; the melancholic track is from her forthcoming album due June 12, and the night included her monologue and a DMV-themed spoof, marking a busy period that includes Coachella appearances and a one-night LA show alongside her prior hits Sour and Guts.
Madonna surprised a packed The Abbey in West Hollywood by stepping behind the DJ booth to preview two new songs—“Love Sensation” and “Freedom”—during a one-off set that also included older favorites, signaling a new era ahead of Confessions II due July 3 and drawing a star-studded crowd while she urged fans to put their phones away.
Following a wind-forced Stagecoach evacuation, Lainey Wilson returned to deliver a 90-minute headlining set that revived the night: opening with 'Can’t Sit Still,' delivering a high-energy run through hits and a Merle Haggard cover with Riley Green and Little Big Town, sharing personal stories about her Louisiana roots, and closing with '4x4xU' and 'Heart Like a Truck,' proving resilient, crowd-pleasing stagecraft.
During Coachella weekend 2, Sabrina Carpenter invited Madonna onstage to perform Vogue, Like a Prayer, and a new track believed to be from Madonna’s upcoming Confessions II album; both stars later posted tributes about the milestone. Madonna also revealed that her vintage costume from the night went missing and offered contact info and a reward, while Carpenter wore a Dior bodysuit amid a show that featured other notable guests.
Justin Bieber headlined Coachella weekend two with a nostalgia-filled set, inviting Billie Eilish onstage for a duet on 'One Less Lonely Girl' and later topping the night with a SZA cameo on 'Snooze.' He also brought out Sexyy Red and Big Sean for additional performances, and peppered the show with clips from his early career before closing with a retrospective run through his 'Swag' era.
Charlize Theron told The New York Times that while AI may eventually perform Timothée Chalamet’s work, it cannot replace a live dancer on stage, praising ballet’s discipline and the human element of performance, and pushing back against the notion of devaluing other art forms after Chalamet’s comments about ballet and opera.
Billboard reports that rumors Bieber couldn’t perform older songs at Coachella because of his catalog sale are unfounded; insiders say there are no live-performance restrictions. He mixed about a dozen older tracks with mostly new material from SWAG and SWAG II on a minimal stage, and standard performance licenses cover playing his own songs in concert.
Karol G became the first Latina to headline Coachella, delivering a 90-minute, high-energy set staged around a cavernous three-story set with six costume changes and multiple stage areas. The performance featured guests including Mariah Angeliq, Becky G, Greg Gonzales, and Arturo Sandoval, a Gloria Estefan cover, a four-song mini-set by Wisin, and a closing run with Provenza’s Tiesto remix; a bold Ivonny alter ego and a politically charged speech about Latino representation underscored the historic moment before a crowd of ardent fans and onlookers.
At Coachella, Justin Bieber delivered a stripped-down set featuring a laptop and YouTube homepage, revisiting hits like Baby and a viral 2008 cover; the minimalist approach delighted fans craving a nostalgic moment online and in the crowd, while some observers criticized the performance as lazy and questioned the event's paid-viewing aspects.
A Vogue observer attends Justin Bieber’s 2026 Coachella headlining set, describing a visually trippy show that blends new material with nostalgia, including on-stage karaoke through old hits like 'Baby' and 'Sorry,' high-energy collaborations with Tems, Wizkid, the Kid LAROI, and Mk.gee, a moment with Hailey in the crowd, and bold merch, signaling Bieber’s return to major live performances after health setbacks.
At Coachella, Justin Bieber performed behind a laptop and browsed YouTube clips of his songs, a moment that drew both praise and criticism for seeming low-effort; Katy Perry joked from the crowd about his YouTube Premium to dodge ads, while Bieber continued the set with guest appearances and support from Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner, leaving the online reaction mixed but Perry’s quip standing out as the moment’s lighter note.
Nine Inch Noize—the collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize—took over Coachella’s Sahara stage with a 45-minute, choreographed set that turned NIN favorites into a nightmarish, high-drama rave, complete with zombie-like dancers and Mariqueen Maandig on stage; the reworkings stayed faithful enough to the originals while exploding into brutal, noise-soaked textures, making it one of Coachella 2026’s standout moments as a new Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize album drops next Friday.