Latest news with #TottenhamHotspurStadium
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Beyonce fan left in tears after being 'dehumanized' at Cowboy Carter concert for horrific reason
A visually impaired Beyonce fan was left in tears after she was treated in a 'dehumanizing' way at a recent Cowboy Carter show. Esther Obigbesan revealed she was asked to give up her cane to access the VIP area at one of the singer's performances in London last month, despite having flagged her access needs to staff days beforehand. Ahead of the June 10 show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Esther – who spent over $650 dollars on her VIP standing ticket - claimed that she had reached out to the providers of the VIP package to make them aware of her needs but never got a response. On the day of the event, she was initially helped into the VIP check-in point and was handed her wristband and merch but was then stopped by security as she tried to access the pit. Speaking to BBC Radio London 's Eddie Nestor, she said: 'They just automatically started talking to the ladies that were with me being like, 'she can't go down there, she can't go down there.'' Although Esther claimed she explained to staff that her cane was a visual aid, she alleged that she was told that they were not permitted in the standing sections of the venue. In the end, she was forced to hand over her cane so that she could enter the area. 'It was more my confidence and my independence… it felt dehumanizing,' she said. Esther was met with further humiliation when she asked a security guard to help her locate the bathrooms. 'When I came out, they'd contacted the safety officer who was trying to relocate me,' she continued. 'They were saying it's not safe for me down there because people won't know I'm visually impaired – I said I could have my cane back.' Esther was then moved to a seated area two levels above where she had originally been placed. 'It's a three-hour show but I barely remember any of it because I was crying so much,' she told the radio show. A Tottenham Hotspur spokesperson apologized for the incident and refunded her ticket. According to the BBC, they also said the experience 'fell far short' of its standards. Many were outraged by Esther's story and voiced their support for her and fellow concertgoers with additional needs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BBC London (@bbclondon) 'It was more my confidence and my independence… it felt dehumanizing,' Esther said of her treatment at the Beyoncé show 'How does this happen in 2025 when we're supposed to all know better when it comes to disability?' said one. 'This is outrageous.' 'What a terrible experience for this young woman,' another commented. 'That's an outrageous price for a ticket and to be tested with such disrespect is disheartening.' Echoing a similar sentiment, a third agreed and said: 'Awful disability discrimination. You can hear the pain in her voice.' Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a 62,000-capacity venue, hosted all of Beyoncé shows on the British leg of her tour. The tour, officially titled Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour is in support of her album, Cowboy Carter. The all-stadium tour, featuring 32 stadium shows in the U.S. and Europe, began on April 28 in California, and is scheduled to conclude on July 26 in Nevada.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Kendrick Lamar and SZA deliver a stadium-worthy performance
Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Grand National tour rolled into London on Tuesday night, setting a new standard in how to create the ultimate stadium an art form that some of the world's biggest stars are yet to perfect, but the pair breezed through their 52-track setlist at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, stripping back the gimmicks and distractions to focus on their epic back California rapper and Missouri singer-songwriter have already broken records with the biggest co-headline tour in history, consisting of 39 shows across North America and serves as one big celebration of their recent achievements - Lamar's hit album GNX and SZA's deluxe edition of SOS, which both came out in 2024. On paper, bringing together two of the world's biggest artists in a joint show - rather than consigning one to a support slot - should be a guaranteed success. Just look at the numbers - they have a combined monthly listnership on Spotify of150 million after bear in mind that these are two artists with wildly different performance styles and subject matter - SZA is melodic and ethereal, whilst Lamar is punchy and fired sings about her past relationships and her struggles with finding self-worth, whilst Kendrick explores social commentary, his upbringing and ever increasingly, his as they switched between sets, offering up five to six songs each in the early stages of the two-and-a-half-hour show, you realised that the shared headline slot was clear the pair worked tirelessly to create a show that feels seamless - Lamar brought an intensity to the first act with tracks such as King Kunta and ELEMENT, which were punctuated by constant bursts of fire and the pair swapped over, the energy remained high, with SZA tearing through hits such as 30 for 30 and Broken Clocks, which were reworked to feel simplicity of the set design, which featured large moving screens on the main stage and a circular platform, allowed the focus to remain on the two of the sets are punctuated with dancers, but both artists spent the majority of their sets out on their own, drawing full attention from the 10-year working relationship was certainly evident in the duet sections of the show, in which the pair came together seamlessly to perform All the Stars, one of the evening's highlights and more recent collaborations Luther and Gloria. With any tour that features more than one headliner, it's difficult to determine the audience split, but the London fans greeted both performers with the same adoration. The crowd's energy for some of Lamar's earliest songs was electric, with mosh pits erupting throughout the standing areas for Backstreet Freestyle and family was certainly captivating throughout, notably performing without backing vocals to showcase his impressive rap flow and breath elements of the stadium show were borrowed from his Super Bowl half-time show from February this year, which was seen by more than 120 million crowd appeared delighted to see that many of the viral dances from that performance had made it to the tour, with the choreography during the track Peekaboo providing maximum sets were also interspersed with marching band snippets, which are not only prevalent on Lamar's GNX album, but also helped to recreate the big American stadium atmosphere that his music lends itself Lamar as he stalked across the vast circular platform, he commanded every single audience member with his presence - there were no costume changes, no dance routines, just a rapper at the very top of his was at his most intense when he performed his diss tracks, which also elicited the biggest reaction from the 38-year-old's year-long rap beef with Drake has been incredibly well-documented and whilst he may have showed a little restraint during his Super Bowl show, none of that was on display performance of Euphoria - a track in which he lyrically expresses his hatred for the Canadian rapper, was particularly cutting, But Not Like Us, Lamar's most commercially successful diss track and his most vicious takedown of Drake, was by far the biggest highlight of the came as song 50 of 52 on the setlist and it's was clear the audience hadn't just been waiting all night for it, but probably since they booked their tickets many months knew that a track centred around calling Drake a paedophile (something he strongly denies) could create the best atmosphere the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has seen in years. Whilst Lamar's stage set-up was understated, SZA got a little more creative when it came to her production individual sets were based around nature, with dancers appearing throughout dressed as anything from trees to giant also performed several songs on the back of what appeared to be a giant green ant sculpture, before climbing into a harness and ascending the stage with huge butterfly creating an out-of-this-world environment on-stage, tonight's performance saw her at her most her disappointing Glastonbury headline slot at last year's festival, much of the discourse surrounded whether she understood British audiences and was able to connect to doubt was put to bed from the very start of her performance, which displayed her true talents as a confident and multi-talented 35-year-old connected with the crowd instantly, serenading them with fan favourites such as Scorsese Baby Daddy and comparison to her Glastonbury headline slot, there was one similarity - she again suffered technical issues on Tuesday evening, appearing to struggle with her in-ear monitors this didn't affect her vocals at all, which were beautifully crisp, even during fairly complicated dance stage presence was impressive, as was her ability to adapt her slower songs so that they dovetailed perfectly with Lamar's frenetically paced the greatest highlight of her set came towards the end of the evening, as she lulled the crowd into an almost dreamlike state with then told the crowd how it was "crazy how you can go from being engaged to complete strangers" before she sang ballad Nobody Gets performing three of her own separate sets, which included songs from albums Ctrl, SOS and its recently updated deluxe version, SZA appeared once more to end the show with finished with two love songs - Luther and Gloria, before disappearing beneath the stage in a prop car, basically the production equivalent of riding off into the sunset.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Fans finally learn meaning behind SZA's name after an entire decade
SZA, whose real name is Solana Imani Rowe, has been in the music game for years, but fans have only just learned the true meaning of her name, as well as the way it's pronounced SZA is one of the most talked-about artists in the music industry at the moment. As well as playing at Glastonbury in 2024, she sent fans wild with an incredible performance at the Super Bowl half time show with Kendrick Lamar. The much anticipated performance was watched by millions of music and sport fans at home, while a number of celebrities had headed to the stadium in New Orleans. Jay Z, Taylor Swift and Ice Spice were all in attendance to see the pair pull off a spectacular show. And now, the British public can get in on the action. Kendrick and SZA are currently on a UK tour, which is about to come to both Cardiff and London. People have been so excited for the shows they've been brushing up on their music trivia. And one piece of knowledge that people are only just learning about is the origins of SZA's name – how to pronounce it and what the acronym actually stands for. The artist, whose real name is Solana Imani Rowe, launched her career in 2011, but it wasn't until the release of her Ctrl album in 2017 that she truly broke through. Many fans were oblivious to the correct pronunciation of her name, leading some to turn to Reddit to question if they were alone in their confusion. One asked: "Did anyone else initially assume that SZA's stage name was pronounced 'zah'?" Others also confessed they'd been left baffled by the stage name, as one responder wrote: "Yes haha I also thought it was Zah, my second guess was S-Z-A. Didn't realise until I was told that it was Sizzah. Not very intuitive, at least not to me." A second remarked: "I thought it was pronounced Ess Zee Ay, or Ess Zed Ay in Canada." And a third asked: "Doesn't S-followed by-Z make a 'sh' sound usually?" If you are struggling, it's pronounced scissor! And now you've got that pronunciation down, it's time to think about the meaning behind the acronym. SZA shared the significance of her moniker in previous interviews, revealing that each letter represents a unique concept from the Supreme Alphabet. She said: "Each letter stands for a different ideology. So, S, stands for self-sovereignty, like saviour of one's self. "Z stands for zig-zag, which is enlightenment of one's self, and then A stands for Allah, or a God, or whatever you consider the most high." Upcoming UK tour dates July 19, 2025 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff July 22, 2025 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London European Tour Dates July 27, 2025 – Lisbon, Portugal – Estadio do Restelo July 30, 2025 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys August 02, 2025 – Rome, Italy – Stadio Olimpico August 06, 2025 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy August 09, 2025 – Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mary J Blige fans demand REFUNDS after star gives up on choreography during live show
Mary J Blige haters have criticized the star after she appeared to perform half-baked choreography during a recent show - with some going as far as demanding a refund. The 54-year-old Family Affair singer had been playing to packed out crowds at London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 3. Dressed in a bedazzled cobalt colored corset top and matching trousers, complete with oversized blue sunglasses, Mary showed off her hilarious and unbothered dance moves as she performed her hit track, Just Fine. A video of the performance, however, circulated far and wide on social media, with some users calling out her low effort movements. 'Paying to see Mary J. Blige perform LIVE is a choice I'd never make,' one X (formerly Twitter) user slammed. Another speculated: 'Mary needs to adjust her choreography to her capability. If that means she's standing still singing so be it. 'Right now, this looks bad and like she hates being on stage. Maybe she has aches and pains who knows.' 'The epitome of "go girl, give us nothing" and I love that for her,' another joked. 'Some people just gotta know when to hang it up,' another said, hinting at Mary's retirement. Others, however, loyally defended Mary and jumped to her aid as one snapped: 'She 54. What you want her to do a backflip of something?' Another pointed out: 'People go for her voice not her dancing lol.' A third added: 'She may be tired, sick, or even in pain. We never know what people like Mary J Blige are going through. 'She is on stage doing what she loves surrounded by people who support her. That's winning.' 'She's 54 man,' another said. 'I wouldn't be mad if she sat down the whole concert to hear her sing.' 'I would absolutely pay to see Mary J Blige dance like an aunty,' a fifth added. Mary had been performing the London show alongside 50 Cent as part of his Legacy Tour. 'I hope they enjoyed the show!' he captioned a picture of the packed stadium shortly afterwards. 'I love the energy it's just different.' Mary just wrapped up her For My Fans Tour, which kicked off in Greensboro, North Carolina, on January 30 with Neyo and Mario supporting. She has three upcoming shows in Europe, with the next performance set to take place in Portugal for Afronation on July 10. She will then play North Sea Jazz Festival 2025 in the Netherlands on July 11, before playing the Paris La Defense Arena on July 13.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn 2 date official; Devin Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr. welterweight title fight set
Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are set to try to do the impossible. The two rivals will attempt to better their first contest, which is the frontrunner for 2025's Fight of the Year, when they rematch Sept. 20 at a venue to be determined in London, Turki Alalshikh confirmed Sunday afternoon. Advertisement The rematch was originally touted for Sept. 27, but Premier League fixtures that were released earlier this month ruled out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium's availability to host the fight. Wembley Stadium is also booked on Sept. 27, but both venues are free on September 20. Eubank (35-3, 25 KOs) edged Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) in a 12-round middleweight thriller in front of a 67,484 sell-out crowd at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this past April. It was a fight for the ages, with the sons of British boxing legends Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. going toe-to-toe for 36 minutes. Although Eubank was a deserved winner, some felt the 116-112 scores handed in by all three judges were an unfair representation of Benn's efforts. The buildup, which dates back to the pair's first scheduled fight three years ago, was sensational. From failed drug tests to the notorious egg-slap at the launch press conference to Eubank Sr.'s shock arrival at the venue hours before the fight — despite his insistence that he wouldn't partake in the circus — the hype was built to the maximum, and the fight ultimately delivered on all its promises. It was the perfect storm. Eubank Jr. missed the 160-pound middleweight limit for the first bout by 0.05 pounds and was thus fined $500,000 for the infraction. Some voiced disapproval of the fight being agreed at 160 pounds with a 10-pound rehydration clause, citing concerns over Eubank's health. The rematch, however, will be contested with the same weight stipulations as the first fight. Advertisement Eubank released a series of videos on his social media on the day before the fight, alluding to the use of a sauna to cut weight. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) does not allow fighters to use a sauna to dehydrate, and so Eubank will also need to appear before the BBBofC in July to explain his alleged use of a sauna. Brian Norman Jr. vs. Devin Haney set for November In other boxing news, Brian Norman Jr. will defend his WBO welterweight title against two-division world champion Devin Haney on a date to be confirmed in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alalshikh also confirmed on Sunday. Advertisement Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) won the WBO interim championship with a 10th-round upset KO win over Giovani Santillan in May 2024. Following Terence Crawford's move to super welterweight, Norman was upgraded to full champion and has since made two successful defenses of his belt. Earlier this month, Norman scored a brutal fifth-round KO of Japan's Jin Sasaki. Sasaki reportedly couldn't remember anything that happened in the fight or up to six weeks before the bout after his savage loss at the hands of the 24-year-old champion. Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) previously held the undisputed lightweight title between 2022 and 2023 in a run that included wins over Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. In December 2023, Haney moved up to super lightweight and dominated Regis Prograis to capture the WBC title. Haney was floored three times in a stunning loss to Ryan Garcia in April 2024, but Garcia's positive test for the banned substance ostarine was revealed after the fight, which ultimately resulted in Haney's loss being overturned to a no contest. "The Dream" ended a 12-month layoff this past May with a unanimous decision victory over Jose Ramirez in an uninspiring performance. Garcia and Haney were supposed to rematch in October, but on the same night Haney defeated Ramirez, Garcia was upset by Rolando "Rolly" Romero. Haney then attempted to make a fight with the WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, however negotiations failed between the pair. So now, he will look to become a three-division champion against Norman Jr. later this year.
