Shakira pays 6.6M euros in another Spain tax fraud case

Colombian superstar Shakira has paid 6.6 million euros ($7.2 million) to a Spanish court investigating her for unpaid taxes, her agent said Friday, just days after she reached a deal to avoid trial in another tax case.

Spanish prosecutors in July opened a second case against the 46-year-old singer, accusing her of using a network of companies, some of them based in tax havens, to cheat Spain's tax office out of some 6.6 million euros in 2018, including interest and adjustments.

Shakira paid the court in August, the agency that represents her told AFP, confirming a report in daily newspaper El Periodico.

The 6.6-million-euro payment does not imply either the singer's guilt or innocence in the case, but is "another demonstration of her willingness to repay her possible debts to the Spanish tax authorities", the newspaper said.

Separately, the "Hips Don't Lie" singer Monday reached a last-minute settlement with Spanish prosecutors to avoid trial for tax fraud on income she earned between 2012 and 2014.

As part of that deal Shakira agreed to pay a fine of 7.3 million euros, equal to 50 percent of the amount of unpaid tax.

She had already paid 17.45 million euros to the Spanish tax authorities to settle her situation in this case.

The singer, who had previously rejected a deal offered by prosecutors, said in a statement she had settled "with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight".

Shakira moved to Miami with her two sons in April following her split from former FC Barcelona star defender Gerard Pique.

Agence France-Presse

Jungkook, Anitta draw fans to Central Park aid fest despite rain

NEW YORK, United States - Thousands of people gathered in a swampy Central Park for a concert urging global development aid, with Jungkook of BTS fame and Brazil's Anitta highlighting the marathon show's first half.

Jungkook had the poncho-clad crowd screaming and swaying along as he serenaded them with hits including "Still With You" during the Global Citizen Festival marked by a chilly, persistent rain.

Wearing acid wash jeans and a brown shirt, the megastar told fans it was necessary to "make an impact together to make sure everyone, everywhere has access to their basic rights like food and education."

He wasn't billed as a headliner but Jungkook was a major draw of the night: many drenched concertgoers streamed out of the park just after his set ended, even though the evening was set to continue for another three hours.

Earlier in the evening Anitta brought her impressive twerks and dance party of a show to the stage, performing hits including her recent "Funk Rave."

Brazil's biggest pop star called attention to the importance of protecting the Amazon rainforest, reminding fans it's "the lungs of our planet."

She also said just prior to kicking off her booty-shaking set that governments must do more to "protect the people there, the indigenous people, the communities there... whose only reality is the Amazon."

And rappers including Busta Rhymes and Common put on a 50th anniversary of hip hop tribute, one of many that has been put on across the city in recent months.

Still to come are headliners Lauryn Hill and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

- Fight against hunger -

Taking place since 2012 as world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly, Global Citizen distributes tickets for free to supporters who pledge to take actions such as sending letters to their governments in support of development aid.

Pledges came from leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, who announced via video message a $150 million commitment to the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

"We have to fight together against poverty, climate change and for biodiversity," Macron said. "This is why we want to take our part as well."

The Rome-headquartered IFAD is an arm of the United Nations aimed at addressing poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.

Global Citizen welcomed Macron's commitment in a statement, adding that "much more needs to be done to provide crucial support to millions of smallholder farmers around the world, who produce 70 percent of food in low and middle-income countries."

The institution urged governments to double their climate adaptation funding, and make sure IFAD reaches its funding target of $2 billion by the end of 2023.

Along with Macron, they said Norway had pledged $90 million to IFAD.

Agence France Presse

Taylor Swift, Beyonce reporting jobs trigger controversy

NEW YORK, United States - It's rare for a news outlet to dedicate a reporter to one personality, but the publication USA Today has decided Taylor Swift and Beyonce are phenomena requiring their own beats.

The recent announcement by Gannett, which owns USA Today, that it was seeking two journalists to cover the biggest names in music as if they were running for president triggered both excitement and eyerolls -- and broader conversation about coverage priorities in an increasingly fragmented and financially precarious news media environment.

Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily newspapers, has slashed jobs across local markets over the past several years, laying off six percent of its news division in December.

So news of the Tay and Bey positions struck a nerve.

"I suppose now is a good time to remind Twitter that I'm the only full-time news reporter left at my newspaper that was sold by Gannett in December," said Brad Vidmar on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Vidmar, 41, works for The Hawk Eye, a newspaper in Burlington, Iowa that GateHouse, an investment firm-run publishing company, purchased in late 2016.

In 2019 GateHouse acquired Gannett and took its name, becoming the largest newspaper company in the nation -- and one with a reputation for scooping newspapers before curtailing their resources.

Gannett resold The Hawk Eye to a family-owned media company in late 2022 -- its staff a skeleton of what it once was.

"They just kept cutting and cutting and cutting staff all across the board," Vidmar told AFP. "What you saw was a situation where there are less reporters, reporters forced to take on multiple beats."

Losing local content meant filling the paper with wire stories or stories from the broader USA Today network, he explained.

Vidmar said Gannett's announcement of the Swift job made "my eyes roll."

"They've been downsizing newsrooms for years now, but of course they need somebody dedicated to covering Taylor Swift," he said.

'Shaping a generation'

Gannett said the new positions will be employed by USA Today and The Tennessean, the company's Nashville-based paper.

The aim of the new jobs -- which are in addition to three music reporters The Tennessean now employs -- will be to "capture the excitement around Swift's ongoing tour... while also providing thoughtful analysis of her music and career," Gannett said. Another position is aimed at similarly analyzing Beyonce's impact.

The NewsGuild's New York branch was skeptical, writing on X: "Gannett's strategy to be profitable again: 1) Lay off hundreds of reporters 2) Destroy local news coverage 3) Hire a Taylor Swift reporter."

Lark-Marie Anton, Gannett's chief communications officer, said in a statement to AFP that "these roles do not come at the expense of other jobs," noting that in Gannett's bid to "grow our audience" the company has hired 225 journalists since March and has more than 100 open roles.

"Taylor Swift and Beyonce Knowles-Carter are artists and businesswomen. Their work has tremendous economic impact and societal significance influencing multiple industries and our culture -- they are shaping a generation," Anton said.

Under pressure

Robert Thompson, a media scholar at Syracuse University, said his initial reaction to the new jobs was questioning whether "this is a joke."

But he said after more reflection "I think it would be silly to categorically dismiss this... There are so few things that everybody really kind of knows whether they're fans or not, and Beyonce and Taylor Swift are some of the very rare ones."

The jobs have the potential to allow for "really insightful ways to tell the story of 21st-century America through the lens of its most popular personages," he said.

On the other hand, Thompson acknowledged that negative reaction to the new jobs in light of dwindling local news coverage is reasonable.

"If you were to get a bunch of people together and say, 'We've got X number of dollars, how should they be spent?' Most of them would probably not say the Taylor Swift beat," he said.

"But that doesn't mean that separate from that context there can't be some really good things to come of it."

If performed correctly, the new jobs are not necessarily the "dream" careers some headlines have touted them as, he said.

The fan bases for both Swift and Beyonce are notoriously defensive -- music critics who make even the slightest negative comment about their idols can be doxxed or receive death threats.

And along with the "organized wrath" of Swifties and the Beyhive, the worlds these artists have curated are famously guarded.

Plus, Thompson noted, "the eyes of the profession are going to be on these poor folks when they finally get hired."

"That first piece that they file -- it better be really good."

Agence France Presse

Sinead O'Connor death at London home 'not suspicious': police

LONDON -- Irish singer Sinead O'Connor was pronounced dead Wednesday at a south London residence by police officers responding to reports of "an unresponsive woman," the capital's Metropolitan Police confirmed Thursday.

"A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene... the death is not being treated as suspicious," the force said in a statement which did not name O'Connor, in line with UK policing protocols.

"Police were called at 11:18 hrs on Wednesday, 26 July to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area," the Met noted, referring to a postcode several miles south of central London.

"Next of kin have been notified... A file will be prepared for the Coroner," it added.

In English law, inquests are held to examine violent, unnatural or unexplained deaths. They set out to determine the place, time and type of death, but do not apportion blame.

Agence France-Presse

Elton John hails fans at emotional final farewell show

STOCKHOLM - Surrounded by emotional fans from around the globe, Elton John hailed them as his "lifeblood" as he gave his final farewell concert in Stockholm after more than 50 years of live performances.

"You know how much I like to play live. It's been my lifeblood to play for you guys, and you've been absolutely magnificent," he told the delighted audience at the arena in the Swedish capital.

Wearing a tailcoat accented with rhinestones and a red pair of his trademark large glasses, the 76-year-old pop superstar sat down at the piano shortly after 8:00 pm to cheers to open his farewell show with one of his most popular songs, "Bennie and the Jets."

He then continued with "Philadelphia Freedom" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" to a rapt audience, many of whom were wearing sparkling blue or red glasses.

Playing for more than two hours, John interspersed the songs with moments when he would get up and leave the piano to thank not only his fans but also his band and his crew, some of whom have been with him for more than 40 years.

"I want to pay tribute to these musicians... They're really incredible, they've been with me so long, some of them. And they are the best, I tell you, the best," he said.

Shortly after a rendition of "Border Song" which he dedicated to Aretha Franklin, John's "I'm Still Standing" brought the 30,000 fans at the Tele2 Arena to their feet.

Before he took his encore, John screened a message from Coldplay, who were playing in the western Swedish city of Gothenburg, in which singer Chris Martin thanked him for his career and commitment.

'Amazing show'

"It was amazing. I have no words right now because I haven't processed all the show, but it was amazing," said Anton Pohjonen, a 25-year-old bank worker from Finland.

"You almost start tearing up on his account. But then it feels great to be here," added Swedish teacher Conny Johansson, who bought tickets for the show four years ago.

Excited fans were looking forward to an emotional end to the superstar's glittering live career even before the curtain went up.

"It's going to be very emotional tonight," said Kate Bugaj, 25, a Polish student who admitted she had delayed her Master's exams to follow her musical hero's tour.

Describing herself as a "huge fan", she said it all began the first time she watched "The Lion King", the 1994 Walt Disney film which gave John one of his two Oscar music wins.

Fifty-year-old Jeanie Kincer travelled from Kentucky in the United States for the show.

"I wanted to be here for the end because I was too young to be here in the beginning," she said.

To mark the occasion, she was dressed in red shorts with braces and a red, yellow and brown T-shirt -- almost the exact same outfit John wore for his first concert in Stockholm in 1971.

Sweden's daily Expressen called the final show "an important chapter in the history of rock 'n' roll which is about to end".

The star has been winding down his decades-long live career with a global farewell tour.

He played his last concerts in the United States in May and brought the curtain down on Britain's annual Glastonbury Festival last month.

Saturday's farewell concert was the second consecutive evening the Stockholm stadium hosted the legendary British singer-songwriter for the last leg of his final tour, which began five years ago and was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and a hip operation in 2021.

On his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, John will have given 330 concerts, crisscrossing Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Britain, before closing in Stockholm.

Overall, the tour has seen him perform in front of 6.25 million fans.

Agence France-Presse

Legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach dead at 94

LOS ANGELES — Legendary American pop composer Burt Bacharach, whose prolific output provided a chart-topping playlist for the 1960s and 70s with hits like "I Say a Little Prayer," has died in Los Angeles aged 94, US media said Thursday.

Bacharach worked with stars such as Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones and also wrote hits such as "Walk On By" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose."

Bacharach, who died on Wednesday of natural causes, was known for romantic and melancholic ballads crossing the border between jazz and pop, and regularly topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

A pianist passionate about jazz, he was born on May 12, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri, and studied the art of composition in several American universities.

After his military service, he was hired by Marlene Dietrich as an arranger and musical director for her tours.

In 1957, he met lyricist Hal David, who died in 2012, with whom he would form one of the most successful partnerships in the music industry.

Four years later, they would discover during a recording session a young chorus girl who will become their standard bearer: Dionne Warwick. 

Between 1962 and 1968, they wrote 15 titles that rose into the American Top 40.

The songwriting duo was also acclaimed by Hollywood. In 1970, they won two Oscars for the music of the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and the original song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head." 

In 1973, a financial dispute broke out between the two men. For ten years, they spoke only through lawyers and never worked together again. 

Agence France-Presse

Guns N' Roses sues online gun shop for appropriating name

HOUSTON - This ain't no sweet child of mine. 

US rock band Guns N' Roses has sued a company that runs an online gun store named Texas Guns and Roses, charging in federal court that the business appropriated its name unjustly.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, attorneys for the band said a corporation that runs the online shop was conning consumers into believing the business had something to do with the rock band.

Guns N' Roses "quite reasonably does not want to be associated with Defendant, a firearms and weapons retailer," the lawsuit, filed Thursday, says.

Additionally, the band claimed, the gun dealer "espouses political views related to the regulation and control of firearms and weapons on the Website that may be polarizing to many US consumers."

Guns N' Roses, formed in 1984, is one of the most successful bands of all time and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Its members are Axl Rose, Saul "Slash" Hudson and Michael "Duff" McKagan.

The lawsuit identified Jersey Village Florist LLC as the owner and operator of Texas Guns and Roses, which it said sells firearms and ammunition, scopes, body armor and metal safes, among other items.

The online business is registered at a Houston address and obtained its Texas registry listing in 2016 without Guns N' Roses' "approval, license, or consent," according to the suit.

Lawyers for the rock group are seeking a jury trial and a court order barring the use of the website name as well as unspecified punitive damages.

The online shop did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Agence France-Presse

U2 frontman Bono releases memoir 'Surrender'

NEW YORK, United States - U2's Bono on Tuesday released his memoir "Surrender," detailing the journey from his youth in Dublin to fronting one of the world's most prominent rock bands.

The introspective book is organized across 40 different U2 songs, including 40 original drawings.

The 62-year-old artist born Paul David Hewson is a long-time humanitarian well-known for lending his voice to a variety of causes, including the fight against poverty and AIDS.

In his more than 500-page book, Bono delves in to those ambitions but also his growth as a teenager struck by tragedy -- his mother died suddenly when he was 14 -- and an account of his heart operation in 2016.

He also waxes on the perplexities and finer points of songwriting, and "the pseudo-religious part of being a rock star, how we put the messy in messianic."

"U2's music was never really rock 'n' roll," he writes in the book. "Under its contemporary skin it's opera -- a big music, big emotions unlocked in the pop music of the day." 

The rocker is promoting the memoir with a 14-date book tour entitled "Stories of Surrender," which kicks off in New York this week and includes stops in Chicago, London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid and, of course, Dublin.

"When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I'd previously only sketched in songs," Bono said in a statement when the book's publication was announced earlier this year.

"Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept," he continued. "I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist."

"Surrender is the story of one pilgrim's lack of progress... With a fair amount of fun along the way."

Agence France Presse

Biden, Metallica and Mariah Carey come together against poverty

NEW YORK, United States - Metallica and Mariah Carey on Saturday led an A-list of musicians, and President Joe Biden made a surprise video appearance, as the Global Citizen Festival sought to mobilize action against poverty and climate change.

Marking its 10th year, the six-hour festival brought thousands to New York's Central Park and featured a sister show in Ghana's capital Accra, where performers included American R&B great Usher and British grime icon Stormzy.

Global Citizen awards tickets to fans in exchange for their commitment to take action to eradicate extreme poverty -- such as contacting elected representatives to encourage foreign aid -- and coincides with the annual UN General Assembly in hopes of raising pressure on world leaders.

"We're inspired and grateful for all the work you've done and want you to know -- your fight is our fight," First Lady Jill Biden said in a video appearance next to her husband.

President Biden -- along with top Senate and House Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who both appeared in person -- highlighted a new climate package that is the most far-reaching legislation ever in the United States to spur clean energy.

But Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados warned that action against climate change cannot come quickly enough for islands such as hers.

"Yes, my friends, our time is running out," she said.

Thrash metal legends Metallica got the crowd headbanging with eight songs including a version of "Nothing Else Matters" featuring vocalist Mickey Guyton, who has been outspoken about her experiences as one of the most prominent Black women in country music.

Guests sought to raise awareness on an array of issues including women's rights, especially in light of major protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly beaten to death after her arrest by morality police who enforce clerical rulers' dress codes on women.

"I have seen my sisters forced to flee abuse, oppression and femicide globally, women like Mahsa Jina Amini," said Anuscheh Amir-Khalili, a refugee advocate in Berlin of Iranian descent.

"We must speak up for oppressed women. I stand here for them," she told the crowd.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, appearing on stage, said, "We have to take care of our girls and our women. They deserve it."

She highlighted recent pledges by Europe including 600 million euros for food security in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific amid rising hunger in much of the world worsened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mariah Carey was introduced by leading ballerina Misty Copeland, who called the singer with her famed vocal range an inspiration, and was accompanied by a choreographed dance for her classic song "Hero."

Other performers included Maneskin, the new-generation Italian glam rockers who put on an energetic set, Spanish pop star Rosalia, and the Jonas Brothers, with Nick Jonas' wife, Indian screen star Priyanka Chopra, serving as master of ceremonies.

Agence France Presse

In Berlin, Rolling Stones end 'Sixty' tour with tribute to Charlie Watts

BERLIN — The Rolling Stones wrapped up their 60th-anniversary tour Wednesday in Germany with an emotional tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts.

The legendary British band had opened their European tour with a gig in Madrid on June 1 to mark six decades since they were formed.

The "Sixty" tour included 14 concerts across the continent and followed the band's "No Filter" tour, which began in 2017 but saw the North American leg postponed due to the pandemic.

They wrapped up that tour late last year despite the death of Watts last August at the age of 80.

Wednesday's concert was the band's 118th appearance in Germany, frontman Mick Jagger told the audience at the Waldbuhne, an open-air amphitheater in a forest west of the German capital, adding that they were still as hot as ever.

The group dedicated its last performance to Watts, with Jagger, 79, telling the 22,000 fans the band had had a few glasses of schnapps the night before in Watts' honor.

Over more than two uninterrupted hours, the Stones strung together their best-known hits and more recent works, while regularly engaging the crowd, including on a version of "Midnight Rambler" that lasted nearly 10 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, it was the classics "Start Me Up", "Paint it Black", "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and a climactic "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" that really set the crowd on fire.

"It's crazy what they're still capable of doing, and the energy they give off at their age," concertgoer Philippe Georgi, 46, enthused to AFP after the show alongside his father Gunther, who is "the same age as Mick."

"Thirty years ago, it was him that invited me to their concert in Munich, and today it's me," he added.

As well as celebrating their 60th anniversary, the Stones have also been marking 50 years since the release of one of their most iconic albums, "Exile on Main Street." 

Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, 78, were childhood friends who lost contact until a chance encounter as teenagers at Dartford station southeast of London. They would go on to form, along with Watts and guitarist Ronnie Wood, 75, what would become one of the world's best-known rock bands.

They did their first tour of the UK in 1963, and have released more than 50 albums, both studio and live, with millions of copies sold.

Agence France-Presse

Spain prosecutors call for 8-year sentence for Shakira

BARCELONA -- Prosecutors in Barcelona said Friday that they would seek a prison sentence of more than eight years against global music superstar Shakira, after she rejected a plea deal on accusations of tax evasion.

Prosecutors are demanding a fine of nearly 24 million euros on the 45-year-old "Hips Don't Lie" songstress, who is accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office out of 14.5 million euros ($14.7 million) on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

The court will now need to decide on holding a trial and set a date. 

Prosecutors say Shakira moved to Spain in 2011 when her relationship with FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique became public but maintained official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015.

Shakira has slammed the "complete violation of her rights" and "abusive methods" by the prosecutors and say they were "insisting on claiming money earned during my international tours and the show 'The Voice'" on which she was a judge in the United States, when she was "not yet resident in Spain."

Shakira was on the singing competition show between 2013 and 2014.

Shakira's defense team argues she moved to Spain full time only in 2015 and has met all tax obligations.

She says she has paid 17.2 million euros to the Spanish tax authorities and she has "no debt to the treasury for many years."

Agence France-Presse

Joni Mitchell wows with surprise set at Newport Folk Fest

NEW YORK, United States - Joni Mitchell delivered her first full set in more than 20 years this weekend, surprising attendees at the Newport Folk Festival alongside country star Brandi Carlile.

The show followed Mitchell's stage cameo earlier this year, when she joined other artists as they performed a moving tribute to her life's work at the MusiCares pre-Grammy gala.

Both moments marked rare public appearances for the trailblazing Mitchell, who in 2015 suffered a brain aneurysm that left her temporarily unable to speak, the aftermath of which has involved extensive physical therapy.

Mitchell and Carlile sang duets including the 78-year-old's "A Case of You" and "Both Sides Now," while the Canadian-born folk icon delighted the crowd by playing the lengthy solo from "Just Like This Train" on an electric guitar.

Mitchell last appeared at Newport, an annual festival in Rhode Island, in 1969. 

Sunday's 13-song set also featured her classic environmentalist anthem "Big Yellow Taxi" and "The Circle Game" along with renditions of "Summertime," "Love Potion No. 9" and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love."

The revolutionary singer-songwriter earlier this year was honored as MusiCares' Person of the Year at the charity gala that precedes the Grammys, where she gave a brief performance.

The next night she accepted the Grammy for Best Historical Album, appearing in a red leather beret, sunglasses and floral pants, her flowing blonde hair in pigtails.

Born in a small town in western Canada, Mitchell had her start playing small clubs and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she became a pivotal figure in the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene and beyond.

She is considered one of her generation's most iconic singer-songwriters, giving rise to the phenomenon of the solitary and thoughtful musician who pours out emotion on stage.

Last summer her seminal album "Blue" charted number one on iTunes as it hit its fiftieth anniversary -- outperforming even pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo's "Sour."

Voicing her own astonishment over the milestone on the MusiCares red carpet, Mitchell earlier this year explained her album's enduring popularity and recent resurgence: "Maybe people want to get a little bit deeper."

Agence France Presse

McCartney rolls back years as Glastonbury enters final day

LONDON -- US rapper Kendrick Lamar will bring the curtain down on Britain's Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, after Paul McCartney ran through a set of Beatles classics, helped out by Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.

McCartney, who turned 80 last week, on Saturday became the oldest main stage headliner of all time, and was joined by Springsteen for "I Wanna Be Your Man," while former Nirvana man Grohl came on for "I Saw Her Standing There."

The 100,000 strong crowd at the dairy farm in southwest England serenaded McCartney onto the stage with "Happy Birthday," and were treated to timeless classics including "Can't Buy Me Love," "Love Me Do," "Blackbird," "Helter Skelter," "Let It Be," and "Hey Jude."

The Sunday Telegraph called it "one of the most thrilling, uplifting, banger-filled" Glastonbury performances, giving it five stars.

"A huge crowd of all ages spread in front of the mystically glowing Pyramid stage. Flags waved, flares blazed, voices were raised in song. The world hasn't exactly been a vision of peace and love lately, but here was the Fab One to put things right," it said.

In a four-star review, the Observer said that "the occasional lulls" in the first part of the three-hour set "rather potentiates what happens afterwards, when McCartney starts to pull out all the stops."

"There's something incredibly charming about seeing the puppyish delight on the face of Springsteen... as he and McCartney trade lines," it added.

Zelensky appears

The singer-songwriter also performed a duet with his late musical partner John Lennon, whose image was projected on a giant screen, on a version of "I Got A Feeling."

The coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to cancel the last two years' events, and those going this year battled three days of major rail strikes across the country to get there.

Doors opened at Worthy Farm in Somerset, southwest England, on Wednesday, with US pop star Billie Eilish, 20, on Friday becoming the youngest ever main stage headline act.

Other big-name performers on the bill include soul legend Diana Ross, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde and electro-pop duo Pet Shop Boys.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky put in an appearance on Friday, urging revelers by big screen to band together to try to stop the conflict with Russia.

Dairy farmer Michael Eavis first organized the festival in 1970, the day after Jimi Hendrix died, and fans who came to see acts including Marc Bolan and Al Stewart paid £1 each for entry and received free milk from the farm.

The festival was held intermittently in the 1970s and it wasn't until the 1990s that it really began to acquire its current status.

Glastonbury was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020, but those plans were put on hold by the pandemic.

Integral to the festival's development was the late Arabella Churchill, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, who set up and then ran the Theatre and Circus fields.

As a result, the festival developed a diverse reputation and the 360-hectare site now encompasses various thematic areas.

Agence France-Press

Shares of BTS label tumble after band announces hiatus

SEOUL — Shares in the management agency of the K-pop supergroup BTS plummeted Wednesday in early trading in Seoul after the band announced they were taking an indefinite break.

The 7 members, credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the bombshell during their streamed "FESTA" dinner, part of a celebration that marks their anniversary as a group.

The news sent shares of the band's label HYBE tumbling -- it was down about 27 percent as of 10:40 a.m. local time (9:40 a.m. in Manila).

The stock -- down nearly 60 percent so far this year -- was headed for its lowest close on record since its trading debut in October 2020, wiping $1.6 billion off its market value, Bloomberg News reported.

The group cited the pressures of fame and success in explaining the break, and said they planned to focus on solo pursuits.

BTS's label enjoyed a surge in profits despite the group staging fewer concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The septet is the first all-South Korean act to reign over Billboard's US top singles chart, a milestone they achieved with "Dynamite" -- the first BTS song performed completely in English.

They are also one of few acts since The Beatles to release 4 albums that hit number 1 stateside in less than 2 years.

The group has twice been nominated for a Grammy but has yet to win.

BTS recently made headlines for visiting the White House to deliver a message to US President Joe Biden on the fight against anti-Asian racism.

BTS has said they were going on short breaks before, first in 2019 and later in December 2021.

Agence France-Presse

The cute, the hot, the freaky: Best of Coachella 2022

Coachella is one of the world's most-touted music festivals but it's known just as much -- if not more -- for its viral moments and Instagrammable antics than for its actual music.

Here's a rundown of some of the weekend's highlights:

Still the One

Harry Styles made a splashy Coachella debut, playing a string of beloved hits, revealing new music, and inviting none other than Shania Twain, the widely adored country artist who ruled the 1990s, to sing along.

Performing for a sea of hormone-addled festival-goers in a chest-baring, multi-colored disco ball of a jumpsuit, Styles opened with his latest blockbuster hit "As It Was," the first single off his forthcoming album "Harry's House."

"It's big in here, innit?" the 28-year-old Brit quipped in his sexy-and-I-know-it yet sheepishly relatable air.

The former boy band idol then paid his dues to history by bringing out Twain, a pioneer of country-pop crossover whose seminal album "Come On Over" soundtracked the rides home of many a '90s kid, including Harry's.

"In the car with my mother as a child, this lady taught me to sing. She also told me that men are trash," Styles said to Twain, who's now 56. 

The duo belted out Twain's smash "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" before sitting down for a soulful duet of "You're Still The One."

"I'm a bit starstruck... It's a bit surreal to sing this song with you," Twain, wearing a sequined mini dress and go-go boots, told Styles.

Judging by the crowd's fervor, she wasn't the only one.

Women center stage, Latinx pride

Hot Girl Summer came early to the California desert, with powerhouse performers including Megan Thee Stallion, Anitta, Doja Cat, Pabllo Vittar and Karol G dominating their stage-time and whipping fans into a frenzy.

Locks flowing and twerks popping even harder than her bars, Megan made good on her queen of hotties' crown, getting suggestive with the mic and drawing screams with dance moves miming oral sex.

"Ladies if you love your body make some... noise," she proclaimed.

Music's seductive oddball Doja Cat meanwhile brought headbanging, flames and even the devil in the form of fellow rapper Rico Nasty to her set, putting on a pyrotechnics-heavy show with tantalizing dance moves and rock-heavy versions of even her glossiest hits.

And the Americans who didn't yet know Brazil's massive superstar Anitta certainly do now, after the artist -- whose smash "Envolver" recently made streaming history -- brought trilingual fire and eye-popping dance routines to the festival's main stage.

Between her multiple outfit changes, medley of hits and ode to home with "A Girl From Rio" -- which interpolates the world famous song "Girl From Ipanema" -- Anitta still found time to bring Saweetie and Snoop Dogg onstage.

Fellow Brazilian Pabllo Vittar made history as the first drag queen to perform at one of music's biggest parties, triggering delirium by putting on a dance party of her own for a packed crowd.

Colombian singer Karol G, her mermaid blue hair flowing, later brought Latinx pride to the top stage, joyously performing her own hits for an enormous multilingual crowd.

She then launched into a medley honoring the Latinos who paved the way, performing classics from Selena, Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, Celia Cruz and Shakira.

A flex from Danny Elfman

But while music's hot girls ruled the weekend it was Danny Elfman who proved Coachella's sleeper hit.

The 68-year-old best known for film scores delivered a stunning set that paired his 1980s art rock days with a full symphony that rendered some of pop culture's most iconic soundtracks.

Elfman began his night by vowing "a strange little show" -- an understatement if there ever was one.

The Emmy and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated sexagenarian seized his moment, launching full-throttle into more than half-a-dozen tracks from his surrealist new wave band Oingo Boingo, which he founded in 1979, including "Only a Lad," "Insanity," "Just Another Day" and "Dead Man's Party."

About halfway through he tore off his shirt and flung it aside, revealing that he is both heavily tatted -- and swole.

Elfman broke up his avant-garde, guitar-heavy work by leading his orchestra through four decades of his legendary music for film and television, including an unhinged "Nightmare Before Christmas" medley featuring "This Is Halloween."

He also performed songs from the film "Edward Scissorhands."

Then, there was the Spider-Man main title, and the Batman theme.

And, of course, The Simpsons.

"Imagine peaking and you wander back to the stage and this happens," read one tweet over a clip of the trippy Simpsons theme rendition, which featured vocal sound effects from the orchestra members and the classic saxophone solo.

"Who thought the Simpsons theme at Coachella was a joke??? Never underestimate Danny Elfman," read another viral tweet.

Agence France-Presse

UK rock band The Who back on tour after COVID cancellations

NEW YORK  – After costly pandemic cancellations, British rock band The Who is back on the road again with THE WHO HITS BACK! tour.

“We’re just hitting back at COVID because it stopped us in our tracks. We were, we were going to call it, ‘Where Were We?'” lead singer Roger Daltrey said ahead of the tour starting next week.

Canceled charity concerts for The Who’s foundation, Teenage Cancer, at London’s Royal Albert Hall had cost the group about $3 million, said Daltrey, 78. The charity works with UK and U.S. hospitals to develop state-of-the-art spaces for teens suffering from cancer to meet and stay connected.

Daltrey and Pete Townshend, the band’s principal songwriter famed for thrashing his guitar on stage, are the only surviving original members of the group which emerged in 1960s London with drummer Keith Moon and bass player John Entwistle.

The Who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, with the rock opera “Tommy” and hits like “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “I Can See For Miles.”

Daltrey and Townshend, along with six band members and an orchestra, will kick off their North American tour on April 22 in Hollywood, Florida, and wrap it up in Las Vegas in November.

The Who’s tours have become a lot more complicated, Daltrey said. “We were, we were four guys with eight amplifiers, a drum kit and a sound system. That was it. We turn up in a U-Haul truck and three roadies would suit us for the night.”

Daltrey refuses to worry about COVID affecting the tour, he said at his England countryside home. “We’re just living our lives. And if you get it and die, you get it and die, you know?”

The rock legend, who has worked with many of the world’s top bands, named Mick Jagger as his top rock band frontman followed jointly by Freddie Mercury and Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie.

While the band has no plans to stop touring, the time will come, Daltrey acknowledged.

“I’ve always said about this business. You don’t give it up, it gives you up. I will open my mouth and it won’t come out like it should. And I will go, that’s it, can’t do it anymore.”

-reuters-

Marking 60 years, Rolling Stones to go back on the road across Europe

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones will embark on a European tour this summer, playing stadiums and arenas, to mark their 60th anniversary as a band, the British rockers said on Monday.

Called "SIXTY", the 14-show tour will kick off in Madrid on June 1 and travel to 10 countries in total, including Britain.

The band will perform at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, their first show in the British city for more than 50 years, as well as two concerts at London's Hyde Park.

Frontman Mick Jagger, 78, and guitarists Keith Richards, 78, and Ronnie Wood, 74, will be joined by drummer Steve Jordan for the tour. The Stones' drummer Charlie Watts, who joined the band in 1963, died last year aged 80.

"Looking forward to seeing you all this summer!" Jagger wrote on Twitter, alongside a video of the band performing live across the decades.

The set list will include Stones classics such as "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" and "Paint It Black" among others as well as "a selection of unexpected tracks" from their vast catalogue of music, according to a press release. The tour will also have a new stage production.

The Stones, who wrapped up the North American leg of their "No Filter" tour in November, will also play in Munich, Amsterdam, Bern, Milan, Brussels, Vienna, Paris and Stockholm.

Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian Editing by Mark Heinrich

-reuters-

BTS to hit the stage in South Korea for first time since COVID began

SEOUL — South Korean boy band BTS is to put on their first shows for their home fans since the coronavirus pandemic began, with three concerts in the capital, Seoul, next month, their agency said on Wednesday.

The concerts, part of their "Permission to Dance on Stage" tour that has been disrupted by the pandemic, will be at Seoul's Olympic Stadium on March 10, 12, and 13, and will also be live-streamed, Bit Hit Music said.

"We would like to thank all ARMY for patiently waiting for an in-person concert to be held in Korea," the company said on its online fan platform, Weverse, referring to the band's global fan base known as Adorable Representative MC for Youth.

Since their 2013 debut, the band has spearheaded a global K-Pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering youngsters.

The seven-member band made history in November, becoming the first Asian artist to win the top prize at the American Music Awards.

Their last concert for South Korean fans was in October 2019, a couple of months before the coronavirus emerged.

As the pandemic spread in 2020, the band postponed and then called off what was meant to be their biggest international tour involving nearly 40 concerts. They held some online shows instead.

They played their first in-person concerts since the onset of the pandemic in November, in Los Angles, and some die-hard South Korean fans flew in for the shows.

The pandemic has also affected some members of the band, though all are fully vaccinated.

V, the singer, and songwriter whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, was on Tuesday confirmed as the band's fifth member to contract COVID-19, Bit Hit said.

V had no symptoms apart from a mild fever and sore throat, and all other members had tested negative.

"He is currently undergoing treatment at home," the company said in a separate statement, promising a speedy recovery.

Rapper RM, vocalist Jin, and rapper Suga tested positive in December shortly after their return from the U.S. shows, and singer Jimin contracted the virus last month. 

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin Editing by Robert Birsel)

-reuters-

Spotify removing Neil Young's music after his Joe Rogan ultimatum

Neil Young's music is being removed from Spotify's streaming service after the singer-songwriter objected to his songs playing on the same platform that offers Joe Rogan's podcast, the company and the musician said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Young had released a letter addressed to his manager and record label, Warner Music Group, demanding that Spotify no longer carry his music because he said Rogan spreads misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

On Wednesday, the "Heart of Gold" and "Rocking In the Free World" singer thanked his record label for "standing with me in my decision to pull all my music from Spotify," and he encouraged other musicians to do the same.

"Spotify has become the home of life-threatening COVID misinformation," he said on his website. "Lies being sold for money."

The Swedish company said it worked to balance "both safety for listeners and freedom for creators" and had removed more than 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 in accordance with its "detailed content policies."

"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon," Spotify said in a statement.

Rogan, 54, is the host of "The Joe Rogan Experience," the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which holds exclusive rights to the program.

He has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates, and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed a letter urging Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the podcast.

Young, 76, said Spotify accounted for 60% of the streaming of his music to listeners around the world. The removal is "a huge loss for my record company to absorb," he said. 

-reuters-

3 members of K-pop sensation BTS diagnosed with COVID-19

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Three members of the K-pop superstar group BTS have been infected with the coronavirus after returning from abroad, their management agency said.

RM and Jin were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday evening, the Big Hit Music agency said in a statement. It earlier said another member, Suga, tested positive for the virus on Friday.

All three took their second jabs in August, the agency said.

BTS is a seven-member boyband. The four other members are J-Hope, Jungkook, V and Jimin.

According to the agency, RM has exhibited no particular symptoms while Jin is showing mild symptoms including light fever and is undergoing self-treatment at home. The agency said Friday that Suga wasn’t exhibiting symptoms and was administering self-care at home in accordance with the guidelines of the health authorities.

RM had tested negative after returning from the United States earlier this month following his personal schedule there. But he was later diagnosed with the virus ahead of his scheduled release from self-quarantine, the agency said.

After returning to South Korea this month, Jin underwent PCR tests twice — upon arrival and later before his release from self-quarantine — and tested negative both times. But he had flu-like symptoms on Saturday afternoon before he took another PCR test that came back positive, the agency said. Media reports said he also had traveled to the U.S.

-Associated Press-