Latest news with #KingsOfLeon
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Caleb Followill Back Onstage After Shattering Heel as Kings of Leon Join Zach Bryan and Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey
Caleb Followill is back onstage — with some assistance from Bruce Springsteen and Zach Bryan. Months after suffering a "freak accident," the Kings of Leon singer made a triumphant return to performing, appearing with the rock band three nights in a row at MetLife Stadium on July 18-20 while touring with Bryan, 29. During their final show in East Rutherford on Sunday, July 20, Bryan brought Followill, 43, and The Boss out to perform a special rendition of Springsteen's 1982 song "Atlantic City," capping off a successful weekend back on the road. Bryan introduced Followill as the "sweetest man I've ever met," according to a fan video. He then welcomed "one of the greatest men to ever exist, a New Jersey native, Mr. Bruce Springsteen." The crowd cheered on the surprise guest and chanted "BRUCE" for the 75-year-old icon as he hugged Bryan. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. This performance comes months after Followill had to put his tour on hiatus due to a major injury. On May 28, Followill announced that he shattered his heel and several Kings of Leon shows would be canceled as a result. The band was meant to kick off this leg of 10 European shows in Paris on June 10 and conclude in Portugal the following month. "Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that those shows will have to be canceled due to a freak accident that happened the other day. Broke my foot pretty bad just playing with my kids," he said in an Instagram video. "It's pretty gnarly. I'll spare all the details but we're fortunate enough to have some great doctors here in Nashville that gave me emergency surgery. And I'm on the mend, but they've told me that I can't be on my feet or traveling or anything for the next eight weeks or so." "And that's a big bummer, man. We were so excited," added Followill. 'We had a lot of exciting things planned, and now we're just gonna have to pivot and find a new way to continue the work that we've started,' he said of the band, made up of brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew Followill. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! "I'm very excited when we do get to show you the stuff that we're doing, and in the meantime, we're gonna do whatever work we can while I have these limitations." While Followill continues his recovery, Kings of Leon will perform at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in August before heading to Europe for shows in the UK, Norway and France into early September. The band returns to North America in late September. Kings of Leon released their ninth studio album Can We Please Have Fun in 2024. It's now available to stream. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen joins Zach Bryan for surprise 'Atlantic City' performance: Watch
Even Bruce Springsteen isn't too big for a cameo. The Boss joined musicians Zach Bryan and Caleb Followill of the Kings of Leon for a rendition of his 1982 classic "Atlantic City" at Bryan's July 20 MetLife Stadium show in New Jersey. The Kings of Leon and Jersey-based Rock band Front Bottoms were the openers for the concert, while Springsteen, 75, was a surprise guest, joining later for a quick-lick guitar solo on Bryan's track "Revival" during the encore. "Proud to call him my hero, one of the greatest songwriters to ever live," Bryan said before introducing the legendary rocker. "If you guys will have him, this is Bruce Springsteen!" Why Bruce Springsteen changed his set list to end concerts with this song The pair then moved on to play "Atlantic City," a harmonica-heavy ballad off Springsteen's 1982 album "Nebraska." Followill, Bryan and Springsteen stood at side-by-side mics, passing the lyrics back and forth, before embracing at the end of the track as the crowd coo-ed "Bruuuucee!" Bryan, 29, has followed in Springsteen's singer-songwriter footsteps, often folding angst into his scratchy, smoker's vocals and genre-bending music, which features a cocktail of folk, country and soul. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band still rock, quake and shake after 50 years Springsteen joined Bryan on stage last year in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, lending old-school rocker legitimacy to an emerging act. The two also collaborated on the track "Sandpaper" off Bryan's 2024 album, "The Great American Bar Scene." The July 20 show was the third for Bryan this weekend at MetLife, the first time a country artist played three nights in a single stand at the venue. Springsteen is fresh off the release of a previously unheard cache of tracks from years passed. On "Tracks II: The Lost Albums," the Boss treats fans to the musical roads not taken, with mystic, ranchera, and rock music blending on a masterful mix of some 83 songs. Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen joins Zach Bryan for surprise set: Watch
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a Zach Bryan concert
The Boss performed with the artist who has become known as his 'heir.' Bruce Springsteen surprised the audience at Zach Bryan's concert Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to video shared by concertgoers on social media. 'One of the greatest men to ever exist, a New Jersey native, Mr. Bruce Springsteen,' Bryan said as he welcomed Springsteen to the stage. The two, accompanied by Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon, performed Springsteen's song 'Atlantic City' from his 1982 album, 'Nebraska.' The legendary rocker also joined Bryan for his encore, Bryan's song 'Revival.' Bryan's songwriting style has been compared to Springsteen's and the pair last performed together last August at Bryan's concert in Philadelphia. Bryan is hailed in the country music scene for his raspy tone and mix of that genre with folk music in a way many believe captures modern day Americana. His two most recent projects, 2023's 'Zach Bryan' and last year's 'The Great American Bar Scene: have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. Springsteen's early career is the subject of the eagerly awaited forthcoming biopic, 'Deliver Me From Nowhere.' Actor Jeremy Allen White of 'The Bear' is set to star as Springsteen in the film.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen Joins Zach Bryan for Surprise Appearance at New Jersey Concert
Zach Bryan has been called 'Bruce Springsteen's heir' — and on Sunday, the latter surprised fans at Bryan's concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Springsteen took the MetLife Stadium stage in his home state to perform his own 'Atlantic City' with Bryan. At the end of the song, the audience could be heard yelling 'BRUUUUUCE' (not booing, as some on social media misheard). More from The Hollywood Reporter Chris Martin Jokes About Kiss-Cam Scandal at First Coldplay Concert Since Video Went Viral Travis Scott's 'JackBoys 2' Tops Chart, Ends Justin Bieber's Six-Album Streak of No. 1 Debuts Billie Eilish Reveals 3D Collaboration With James Cameron Is in the Works It's not the first time they've taken the stage together. Just last August, Springsteen surprised fans at Bryan's Philadelphia concert for a rendition of 'Atlantic City' and 'Sandpaper,' which the two collaborated on together. On Sunday, concertgoers got a tease of Springsteen's appearance early in the evening, when 'House of a Thousand Guitars,' from his 2020 album, Letter to You, was heard across the sound system. Later in the set, Bryan brought out Caleb Followill, a member of opening band Kings of Leon, to the stage, introducing him as the 'sweetest man I've ever met.' He then took a beat to bring on 'one of the greatest men to ever exist, a New Jersey native, Mr. Bruce Springsteen.' The band then launched into 'Atlantic City' off Springsteen's 1982 solo album, Nebraska, which Followill also joined in on. That era of Springsteen's music career will hit the big screen in October with the release of the film Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen. Sunday's show was the last of Bryan's three-night engagement in East Rutherford. Bryan, whose songwriting is often compared to Springsteen's, is a U.S. Navy veteran from Oklahoma who has helped usher in a new era of country music. His career took off in 2023 with his fourth album, Zach Bryan. He released another hit album, The Great American Bar Scene, in 2024. Springsteen recently wrapped a European tour and has been seen in and around his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey. Bryan also spent much of June in Europe, headlining two nights at London's Hyde Park. Watch the Sunday night performance below. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
‘Tropical north Victoria' or tourism try-hard? Why Mildura is demanding its moment in the sun
The banks of the Murray are sandy and broad as they wind around the city of Mildura in Victoria's far north-west. They are beloved by locals and visitors – and were also the feature of a recent, much maligned tourism campaign, fronted by actor Shane Jacobson and surf lifesavers, likening the inland river city to the far north Queensland coast. The $390,000 campaign, which bills Mildura as 'tropical north Victoria', has been widely panned by locals since it launched a year ago. But it's not the first time the city has taken the loud and brash approach to putting itself on the cultural map in the last few years. American rock band Kings of Leon played there in 2022, then earlier this year Lenny Kravitz announced he would take in the Murray on his national tour. So what's going on in Mildura? Why is it trying so hard to grab the nation's attention – and is it working? Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads There's no getting around the issue of distance, for locals or for tourists. It's a four-hour drive to Mildura from Adelaide, and six from Melbourne. There has been no direct train from Melbourne for 30 years. Public transport users either need to fly there – the cost of which has skyrocketed since the collapse of low-cost airline Bonza – or make at least part of the journey in a roundabout way by coach. It's a significant barrier, given tourist data shows two-thirds of visitors to the Murray region are other Victorians. Tourism is worth about $308m a year to Mildura, but agriculture dwarfs it. Citrus fruits, table grapes, almonds and vegetables are all produced there, and the sector contributes about $1.13bn a year to the economy when combined with forestry and fishing. Horticulture and migrant workers have long defined the town: first in the postwar influx of Italian migrants, who set up the market gardens, and in more recent years waves of backpackers and fruit pickers from the Pacific Islands. Yet healthcare and services in the region employ more people than agriculture. For Mallee-based anthropologist and ex-university academic Melinda Hinkson, the contradictions of the region can be seen in the decline of small-scale farming, leaving what locals call a 'Swiss-cheese' landscape of abandoned lots, alongside the explosion in large-scale agricultural conglomerates. 'You've got this hugely successful but precarious large-ag economy, side by side the dramatic shrinkage of small farms,' Hinkson says. Her forthcoming documentary, Flip the Food Bowl, depicts the absurdity of a system that puts locally grown produce on supermarket shelves in Mildura, only it's many days old by the time it gets there, having been exported down to Melbourne and back again first. Farm-gate fresh produce is readily available at markets, but it's not the norm for the major chains. Population growth and diversifying the economy have been key parts of the region's development strategy for more than a decade. But the population has not been growing as fast as projected, and those who are coming to live in the city are often moving in from surrounding hamlets or farmland, and were already relying on Mildura for services. Cooperatives and smaller-scale farming ventures began to fail after the federal government dismantled support for them in the 80s and 90s, leaving them fully exposed to market forces and the domination of huge corporations, Hinkson explains. Mum-and-dad farms were bought up or went bust. 'We've just been watching the entrenchment of those effects over time … And you end up with the urbanisation of rural communities.' As with all regional communities, access to healthcare is an issue for locals. Drought is an ever-present threat, while the climate crisis couples long dry spells with heavy downpours – such as the rains that caused the 2022 floods – that challenge public infrastructure. In the long term, the environment is expected to shift to be more like Menindee, a desert oasis 250km to the north. There are opportunities for the region in the diversification of agriculture to accommodate these challenges, Hinkson says, if state and federal governments were willing to support them. 'There's always been this super committed creative community, all the way back to the creation of the irrigated colony, and in much more recent times around creative industry and the arts in particular,' Hinkson says. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion 'I think arts and culture is a huge opportunity for us from a tourism perspective,' says Mildura mayor Helen Healy. She offers the Mildura writers festival, which opened on Thursday, as a case in point: it marks its 30th year this month, and most of the events were sold out in advance. It pairs perhaps naturally with a food and wine culture, with chef Stefano di Pieri's restaurant only the most widely known of the region's offerings for gourmands. But the city has also been supporting other arts, and sculpture in particular. There are light installations by Bruce Munro along the river, and Healy says she has been in negotiations to move 'a major sculpture work' into the region. The sculpture triennials that ran in Mildura in the 1960s and 70s were crucial to the development of a market for modern sculpture in Australia, and Healy has been lobbying to have Mildura declared a city of public art. Powerhouse Place, an events and exhibition space on the banks of the Murray, won two Australian architecture awards last year. Visitor numbers have been moderately healthy, if fluctuating, since Covid lockdowns lifted in Victoria at the end of 2021, but have not so far exceeded their pre-Covid peak. Healy admits the 'tropical north Victoria' tourism campaign was 'cheeky' – 'some people took it a bit seriously; I mean, it was Shane Jacobson for goodness sake' – but claims the tongue-in-cheek approach, or perhaps the resulting snark, has started paying off. She says visitor spending over the Easter period was up 10% from last year, and July school holiday bookings up 257%. 'We've had the kind of exposure we could never have afforded to pay for from that campaign,' Healy says. 'For many reasons, we're considered remote and regional and isolated, so we've got to make a lot of things happen for ourselves. We've got to be bold and out there.' The distance also has a political impact, with a longstanding sense that Mildura is often out of sight, out of mind for many, especially politicians. 'Often we bemoan the fact that state governments can think that the state ends about an hour out of Melbourne,' Healy says. 'We're quite disadvantaged when it comes to access to public transport. It would be great to have our train back, [and] we need a bigger hospital. The state government did have plans for a new hospital to be built, so that's been on the back-burner for a while. We'd like to see that back on the table.' Despite that, Healy says the region has had 'some really good wins' with the state government recently. The aforementioned sporting precinct redevelopment is one of those, as is the Kravitz tour, and the Kings of Leon show before that. 'We're not completely neglected at all, but we're very aware that we're in a safe seat and sometimes when elections come, we don't have politicians bearing gifts.'
