The 2024 music festival season is shaping up to be yet another one for the history books. Today (January 9), organizers of Boston Calling announced the official lineup for this year’s festivities. Across Memorial Day weekend (May 24 to 26), the annual multi-day event will take over the city’s Harvard Athletic Complex with headliner performances ranging from pop, indie, and soul acts alike.
On opening night, Friday, May 24, Ed Sheeran and Leon Bridges will close things out. Tyler Childers and Trey Anastasio & Classic Tab will do the honors on the following day, Saturday, May 25. Closing night, May 26, The Killers and Hozier are set to end things with a band.
Other notable names on the lineup include Mean Girls‘Reneé Rapp, Luke Hemmings, Madi Diaz, Ric Wilson, Khruangbin, Frank Truner & The Sleeping Souls, Jessie Murph, d4vd, Megan Thee Stallion, The Revivalists, Lovejoy, and Blondshell. View the full lineup below.
Boston Calling Music Festival 2024 is set to take place from May 24 to 26 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Presale for the festival will begin on Thursday, January 11 at 10 a.m. Eastern. The public sale will kick off days later based on the remaining availability. Find more information here.
Boston Calling
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
BottleRock Napa Valley will take place at the Napa Valley Expo in Napa Valley, California from Friday, May 24, to Sunday, May 26. The festival announced the full lineup this morning, January 8. Three-day tickets will be available for purchase beginning tomorrow, January 9, at 10 a.m. PST.
According to BottleRock’s official website, 2024 will mark the first time there are “no surprises at checkout” because “all fees are included upfront.” The website lists the three-day general admission ticket price as $409 and tacks on the $47 fee to end at a $456 total.
The site also lists the three-day VIP as sold out, though it’s unclear if that will refresh on January 9. As of now, BottleRock is offering a sign-up page for anyone interested in ticket and hotel packages.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In June, Doja Cat will paint Lisbon, Portugal red with rhymes. Today (December 8), the “Attention” rapper has been announced as the latest headliner for Rock In Rio 2024. The festival is slated to occur across the second and third weekend in June. So far, several of the event’s highlighted acts have been announced. However, Doja Cat’s attendance marks a momentous occasion for more reasons than one.
Firstly, this is Doja Cat’s first time playing in the event. Also, her playing on June 23, 2024 gives her the honor of closing out the festival. In a statement, Roberta Medina, the Executive Vice President of Rock in Rio, spoke about the notable occasion: “To have Doja Cat headlining our lineup for the first time in Portugal is a privilege! It’s going to be four days of great joy to recharge the energy of everyone who passes through the City of Rock. As you can see from the names already announced, we’ve got rock, pop, hip-hop… music for the most mature to the youngest.”
Other performers on the lineup include Scorpions and Evanescence on June 15. Ed Sheeran, Calum Scott, and Jão will perform the following day. Doja Cat, Camila Cabello, Luísa Sonza, and Pedro Sampaio will perform on June 23. No entertainers have been announced for June 22 as of yet.
Rock In Rio 2024 is set to take place on June 15, 16, 22, and 23, 2024, at Parque Tejo in Lisboa, Portugal. Tickets are on sale now. Find more information here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Ed Sheeran is the quintessential laidback pop star. Most of his musical artistry involves stripped-down, bashful performances and relatable lyrics. However, make no mistake—Ed Sheeran is a commercial heavyweight, churning out record-breaking singles and albums like no man’s business. Most notably, his first string of albums were uniquely titled.
From his debut LP, +, to his fifth, =, the British crooner opted for symbols for album titles. While each of these efforts all produced timeless songs, it was his third album, ÷ (Divide), that became his biggest global smash hit. The Grammy-winning album is the best-selling in the singer’s catalog, boasting some awe-inspiring numbers. Altogether, around the world, Divide has amassed over 13 million units sold.
To go into more detail, Ed Sheeran dominated the album market for the entire calendar year of 2017. Divide kicked off its record-breaking run in the UK, selling over 232,000 units on its first day, without including streaming data. After three days, it had sold more than 432,000 copies, a surefire guarantee that it would debut at No. 1 on the UK Albums chart. Finally, at the end of the first week, Divide had sold over 672,000 units, awarding Ed Sheeran one of the best first-week sales in the history of UK albums. In his native England, the album has been certified 13x Platinum for shipments of over 3.9 million units.
Likewise, in the United States, Divide debuted atop the Billboard 200. The album sold over 450,000 units in its first week. Altogether, it sold over five million copies, earning a 5x Platinum from the RIAA. All over Europe, Ed Sheeran dominated with Divide, which became one of the best-selling albums in multiple countries. For example, it stayed atop the Danish Albums chart for 36 weeks, becoming the longest-running No. 1 album in Denmark. There, it also achieved total sales of over 240,000 units, achieving a 12x Platinum certification.
At the time of its release, Divide was the fastest-selling album of the 2010s in Ireland. The album also performed exceptionally well in Canada, earning a Diamond certification after 800,000 units sold. Additionally, in Australia, it was the best-selling album of 2017 and has since sold over 770,000 units, earning an 11x Platinum certification. In France, the LP has been certified Diamond for over 500,000 sales. Italy is not far behind, with a 7x Platinum certification after 350,000 units sold.
With his third LP, Ed Sheeran achieved sales equivalents that matched albums released during the Britpop era of the 80s and 90s. The overwhelming success of Divide signified his reign as the most widespread British act of the modern age, alongside Adele. Divide dominated worldwide, and its singles were not left behind. In particular, “Shape of You” and “Perfect” conquered the radio. The former is also the second most streamed song on Spotify. Overall, of all the albums in his repertoire, Ed Sheeran completely shattered all expectations with Divide.
Génesis peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this summer, and as proof of the project’s staying power, it remains in the top 10 here in October.
9. Doja Cat — Scarlet
Scarlet has a major debut week, entering the chart at No. 2. It took a significant fall in its second frame, though, tumbling to No. 9.
8. Taylor Swift — Midnights
There’s no end to the frenzy surrounding Swift. It’s been just about a year since Midnights was released, and yet here it is, still solidly in the top 10 in 2023.
7. Travis Scott — Utopia
Utopia is still faring well on the charts, which should be a good indicator that Scott’s Circus Maximus tour will get off to a hot start with its first concert in just a couple days.
Bryan came through with a surprise EP recently, but it’s his recently released self-titled album that’s dominating the charts, with the former No. 1 living at No. 5 this week.
4. Ed Sheeran — Autumn Variations
Sheeran has this week’s highest chart debut with his new album. It’s his seventh top-10 album on the Billboard 200, and in fact, all of his albums have debuted in the top 5.
3. Olivia Rodrigo — Guts
Guts had the silver medal last week, but when you’re talking about the Billboard 200 chart, bronze is still pretty great, which is where Rodrigo sits this week.
2. Rod Wave — Nostalgia
For its third week on the chart, Wave ceded the No. 1 spot but still managed to hang onto No. 1 with Nostalgia.
1. Morgan Wallen — One Thing At A Time
Wallen has been perhaps the single biggest artist of 2023 in terms of chart performance: One Thing At A Time is No. 1 this week (after placing at No. 3 last week) for a 16th total week on top.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
SZA’s time on the road could bleed into 2024. Although the “Kill Bill” singer only has a few dates left on the second North American leg of the SOS Tour, fans could have the opportunity to catch her live quite soon after it concludes. SZA hinted at a miniature tour run while sharing Lana, the modified deluxe version of her SOS album.
On Saturday, October 7, in a post uploaded to her official X (formerly Twitter) page, SZA proposed that idea to fans. “[I] was thinking I wanna do an intimate mini tour for [the] deluxe [album],” she wrote. “But ONLY in the most turnt cities from the ‘SOS Tour.’ I made a list. Y’all deserve a reward. I’m so grateful .”
Was thinking I wanna do an intimate mini tour for deluxe . But ONLY in the most turnt cities form SOS tour . I made a list . Y’all deserve a reward . I’m so grateful
If SZA does follow through with the smaller tour run, she wouldn’t be the first artist to pull it off. Earlier this year, Ed Sheeran simultaneously embarked on two distinctively different live show runs, the more significant production Mathematics Tour and the stripped-back Subtract Tour.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Snoop Dogg is the sort of figure that even non-smokers would light up with, just to say they’ve smoked weed with Snoop. Ed Sheeran found himself in that situation earlier this year and he discussed it on a new episode of the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast.
Sheeran noted that he was introduced to Snoop through mutual friend Russell Crowe and that the two met backstage after a Sheeran performance in Melbourne, Australia. Sheeran continued (as NME notes), “I don’t really smoke at all, but I was in the dressing room and they were just like blunt for blunt for blunt for blunt. I was like, ‘I guess at some point during the night, I have to, just to say I smoked with Snoop Dogg.’ He was like, ‘Do you want some?’ So I have a bit and I was like, ‘I don’t feel too bad, this is good.’ Then I have a bit more, and then I have a bit more, and then I have a bit more. I just remember looking at him and being like, ‘I can’t see right now.’”
Snoop actually shared a brief video of the encounter on Instagram back in March:
Earlier this year, Ed Sheeran shared his new album – (Subtract). That’s already being followed with another LP called Autumn Variations, coming later this month.
On Tuesday (September 19), Sheeran opened up for John Mayer at his Heart And Armor Foundation concert in Los Angeles. He performed a handful of unexpected covers, including an acoustic rendition of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.” The rapper shared a video of the performance on his Instagram with his approval: “Ed Sheeran right now in LA at the John Mayer concert Killing sh*t ! BOOM,” he wrote in the caption.
The comments are polarized. Some fans also enjoy the cover and think Ed can pull of anything with his acoustic guitar, others ask the simple question: “What am I hearing?” Busta Rhymes, however, was in the comments with a slew of fire emojis, also expressing approval.
Russ continues to break barriers as an independent artist. Over the weekend in San Francisco, he opened up for singer Ed Sheeran as part of his Mathematics tour. It turns out that Ed Sheeran’s performance at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday broke the event space’s attendance record. According to San Francisco 49ers President Al Guido, close to 80,000 people attended the concert, which broke the stadium’s attendance record. It’s quite an accomplishment for the summer, especially considering that Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have already made appearances at the stadium.
Moreover, it’s an impressive feat for Russ, who was excited and grateful for the opportunity to perform in front of such a large crowd. “Last night was one of the craziest nights of my life,” Russ said in an IG post. “80,000 people in attendance. Thank you @teddysphotos for letting me touch the stage and get in front of this many people. Forever grateful!!! SANTIAGO MADE IT TO STADIUMS.”
Russ’ latest album Santiago, recently entered the Billboard 200 chart for the first time, debuting at an impressive 12th position with 42,000 copies sold. Although the accomplishment is one to be proud of, Russ couldn’t help but feel slighted. What’s even more noteworthy is that he debuted six spots ahead of Quavo’s new album, Rocket Power. Nevertheless, Russ felt his anger was warranted because he was initially projected to sell over 50,000 copies and make a top 10 debut.
“Billboard & Luminate took away ANOTHER 4,000 of my REAL sales over the weekend making that 10,000 sales total they took away from me while allowing major labels to fake their streams and sales and do monopolistic merch bundles (only major labels are allowed to do merch bundles because the only approved vendor is a major label vendor),” Russ explained in a recent tweet. He ended by claiming that the charts don’t matter as much as fan support does. “These numbers and charts are made up. The impact however is not. Shoutout to the fans.”
The new season will kick off with Ed Sheeran on September 21, a week before the release of his album Autumn Variations. After Sheeran will be Latin star Feid on September 28, whose new album Mor No Le Temas a la Oscuridad is set to drop the next day. Lil Durk will follow on October 5 and more artists are set to be announced. All performances will go down at 9 p.m. PT, after Thursday Night Football. 2 Chainz will return to host the new season, as he did the first one.
Ryan Redington, GM of Amazon Music, said in a statement, “We created Amazon Music Live to bring sports and music fans together on Thursday nights for a brand-new, can’t-miss event celebrating new music after the biggest game of the week. Available to fans around the world on Prime Video and Twitch, AML became a massive new stage for artists to share their culture-defining new music after Thursday Night Football, and this year we’re going even bigger.”
Watch the trailer for the new season above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
.”
