OHMYGOSSIP — Nicki Minaj has promised that her new record ‘Pink Friday 2’ will be the “best album released in years”.
The 40-year-old rapper released her new single ‘Last Time I Saw You’ on Friday (01.09.23) and took the opportunity to express her excitement for the new album, which is slated for release on November 13.
In a message on her website, Nicki wrote: “Please enjoy the song as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and just know that ‘Pink Friday 2’ is going to be the best album that’s been released in years!!! LOVE YOU.”
The new track is thought to be the third promotional single for the album and Minaj shared her thoughts on the song with her fans.
The ‘Super Bass’ artist wrote: “I can’t thank you enough for your love and continued support. I have not been excited about the release of a song to this extent for maybe… I don’t know I can’t even tell you, I don’t even remember when!
“I hope that it’s therapeutic for you. I hope that even after, it makes you reflect and that if you are reflecting on a time, or a person that you wish you could go back in time and have a do over etc… I hope that you are still able to smile at the end of the song by realising that you now have a chance to treat the people that you love, that are still in your life the way that expresses to them what they mean to you.”
Nicki has previously hyped up her first album in five years and declared that it will be “the best thing to come out of 2023.”
She tweeted in May: “Oh yes fractions warned, SFG did what fractions warned. Red Ruby Da Sleeze MOTHERED so hard and is now the standard. NM5 is the best thing that will come out of 2023 and will raise the bar to new and unreachable heights. NM5 tour will be hailed as “genius”. That’s it and that’s all. (sic)”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Kylie Minogue’s upcoming album, ‘Tension’, was recorded in a fancy Airbnb.
The Australian pop icon was opposed to being in a studio to make her follow-up to 2020’s ‘Disco’, so her label rented out a luxury pad in Surrey – complete with its own swimming pool – and all of her co-writers and production personnel moved in, and managed to write 16 songs in five days.
Speaking to Classic Pop magazine, her longtime songwriting partner Biff Stannard said: “Kylie didn’t want to be in a studio environment as we both write better in a more relaxed space, so the record company booked an incredible Airbnb for us all.
“It was the hottest week of the year. We were in an amazing place with a swimming pool and everything – it sounds rock’n’roll but we never actually used any of it. We did 16 songs in five days.”
Viral lead single ‘Padam Padam’ was penned on the hottest day in the UK, and they were “boiling” as the only thing it didn’t have was air conditioning.
Biff said: “In fact, we wrote the title track on the hottest day in the UK ever!
“I’m sure it was existential and the music was influenced by the heat.
“I think that probably comes across because we felt like we were on holiday.”
Co-writer and producer Duck Blackwell added: “That place was amazing.
“It was three barn conversions that had been renovated by a producer.
The only thing it didn’t have was air conditioning, so it was boiling! On a whim as I was leaving to drive up there, I’d taken a portable air-conditioning unit and that turned out to be a lifesaver. We were frantically seeking out the coolest areas of the house to record in. There was a corner of the kitchen that was slightly cooler so we’d set up in there for some of the more serious stuff. ‘Things We Do For Love’ was recorded in the pool house with the French doors open and my air-conditioner on between takes!”
Biff teased that the title track reminds him of Girls Aloud.
He said: “It reminds me of
something Girls Aloud would have done.
“It’s oblique and awkward, like two or three different song ideas in one that shouldn’t really work together but somehow does.”
‘Tension’ is released on September 22.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Claire Richards was “so nervous” to work with Celine Dion.
The 46-year-old pop star – who is best known as a member of Steps – supported the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ songstress at her BST Hyde Park Show in 2019 and admitted that whilst she “so excited” to be working with one of her idols, she probably would have backed out last minute if she had the chance.
Speaking on ‘The Katie Piper Breakfast Show’, she said: “When she did her tour, I went to see her at the O2 and she did like a 20-minute monologue about sticky toffee pudding and fish and chips just chatting away. I knew I was going to be doing the show and I said I was going to present her with a sticky toffee pudding, but I didn’t. It was amazing, she’s one of my idols. I was so excited, but I was so nervous. If someone had said to be at any point on the lead-up to that show ‘Do you know what, you don’t have to do it, you can just go’, I would have just got in a cab and left. I was so nervous!”
Claire has covered Celine Dion track ‘I Surrender’ as part of her new solo album ‘Euphoria’ – a covers collection inspired by the likes of Karen Carpenter, Donna Summer, and Barbra Streisand – and went on to admit that whilst she often has more “confidence” in her Steps records, she has a “really good feeling” about this record.
She said: “It’s always nerve-wracking releasing any music, even with Steps because even after all these years you just don’t know what is going to happen but with Steps there’s a little bit more confidence because we’ve got such an amazing fanbase, They’re so loyal. It’s all on me now though, I can’t share the burden with anyone! But that’s why we do have these little breaks so we can go off and do bits and bobs on our own so when we do come back it feels refreshed and we’ve got something to talk about. It’s great, and I’m really excited about it. It feels good this one.
The former ‘Masked Singer’ star achieved a run of hit singles like ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Deeper Shade of Blue’ with Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee and Ian ‘H’ Watkins in the late 1990s and early 2000s but the band got back together in 2017 and have enjoyed further success with four new albums and a string of sellout arena tours.
Claire added: “Sometimes it does [feel that long], and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve been in Steps longer than I haven’t been. It’s more than half my life.
“When we get together we’re still those idiot 20-year-olds that we were in the ’90s, we’ve got the same jokes and the same silly sayings. But I always know I’m going to be OK. You kind of worry about doing new things but we know each other so well that it is quite easy to just slip into it really quickly.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Idina Menzel was “born singing” but always worried about what others thought of her.
The 52-year-old star is best known to audiences globally for providing the voice of Elsa in the Disney franchise ‘Frozen’ and explained that she didn’t seek fame as a child but got her “education” through singing at weddings as a teenager.
She told The Observer: “I think I was born singing. I was always singing around the house as a child. I felt I had something special to share, though I didn’t know what it was.
“My parents were very supportive of my dreams to be a performer. My mum always wanted me not to worry about what people thought of me. I’ve sort of failed when it comes to that.
“I wasn’t a kid actor. I did wedding singing as a teenager though, which was quite the education for a 16-year-old girl, going out into the world at night, working with a bunch of strange men on a bandstand. It helped define me as a vocalist – I sang so many genres of music. I learned how to emulate artists like Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, and as a young woman you absorb their greatness through osmosis.”
The ‘Enchanted’ actress – who won a Tony for originating the role of Elphaba in the musical ‘Wicked’ – went on to add that her role as Elsa in ‘Frozen’ “changed her life” but she has always wanted to make sure she connects with the “struggles” of other people when she performs her signature tracks.
She said: “‘Frozen’ changed my life in so many ways. The film’s messaging resonated with young audiences. Through my character Elsa, I was thrown into being a role model for empowerment and self-esteem. I wanted to embrace that responsibility, while still having my own lessons to learn in my life.
“When you’re singing ‘Let It Go’ or even ‘Defying Gravity’ in ‘Wicked’ and you’re a woman that sometimes feels depressed or insecure about your own life, it feels hypocritical. I’ve wanted to make sure that people understand that we all struggle, and you can’t always rise above.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Royal Blood felt “self-inflicted” pressure when making their fourth album but they’ve insisted the process “felt more enjoyable”.
Rockers Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher are returning to the charts with their fourth record ‘Back To The Water Below’ – which is due for release on September 8 – and frontman Kerr admitted there was a lot riding on their studio sessions.
He told NME.com: “There’s pressure every time you make a record. For us, the majority of that pressure is self-inflicted because you’re only as good as the last thing you made. Exterior pressure is really damaging because you’re trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. We have high standards for each other, and ourselves. As long as we’re both impressed by each other, we know we’re on to something that’s worth pursuing.”
Thatcher added of the new album: “This record felt more enjoyable than the previous two, just because we got to let loose a little bit with it. With the first album, we had no idea how it was going to go down and it’s the same kind of thing this time around. But, we have the confidence behind us now [because] we’ve made three other albums.”
The drummer went on to reveal they aren’t scared to try different styles and insisted the new album covers new ground compared to the three previous records.
He added: “It’s nice to venture out and explore some other avenues. This album really does that.”
‘Back To The Water Below’ is the band first album since ‘Typhoons’ which landed in April 2021.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Metallica pulled out of their concert in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday (03.09.23) after frontman James Hetfield tested positive for COVID-19.
The ‘Nothing Else Matters’ rockers will now play the State Farm Stadium as part of their ‘M72′ tour on Saturday (09.09.23), after the heavy metal legend contracted the infectious disease.
In a statement posted to X, the band wrote: “We’re very sorry to report that tomorrow’s scheduled M72 date at State Farm Stadium has been postponed to Saturday, September 9, 2023, as, unfortunately, Covid has caught up with James.
“We’re extremely disappointed and regret any inconvenience this has caused you. We look forward to returning to complete the M72 No Repeat Weekend in Glendale next Saturday.”
The COVID-19 pandemic meant the band had to record their latest album, ’72 Seasons’, in socially-distanced studio sessions.
Drummer Lars Ulrich recently opened up about the battle to get the project off the ground in late 2020 after months of lockdowns and restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak – insisting the sessions gave him a “new sense of appreciation for what we have”.
Lars told NME.com: “At our studio we have cameras set up everywhere, and so when occasionally you see a clip it’s like: ‘Wow, oh yeah, we all had masks on!’ For the first six months of making this record, we had masks on and we were all social distancing in each corner of the studio.
“In the wake of all that, I think we now have a new sense of appreciation for what we have. After the last couple of years I’m feeling pretty grateful about the fact we actually got a record out of it and got through it, and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and playing shows.”
On their ‘M72 World Tour’, they play two shows in every city featuring two totally different sets – and Lars admitted it sounded like a good idea when they came up with it – but it’s quite the task.
He added to NME: “It seemed like a really good idea in 27 email chains but now we’re four weeks away from it, it’s like: ‘Whose idea was this?’
“It’s going around the world for two years and in most cities we’re playing on a Friday and a Sunday. Two completely different sets, no repeat songs. Two different sets of support acts. It’s basically like going to a festival.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Playboi Carti has delayed his North American tour until early next year.
The US rapper was originally set to kick off the ‘Antagonist Tour’ in Denver, Colorado on September 6, and play shows up until October 20, with the last concert of the leg in Atlanta.
However, a new set of dates were quietly released on Carti’s official website, with the jaunt now beginning in Salt Lake City on January 14, and concluding in Portland, Oregon on February 29.
The Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah said in a statement: “Playboi Carti has postponed their show scheduled for September 8th, 2023 to a future date TBD. We no longer have an event scheduled for September 8th at Delta Center.”
Many fans took to social media to share they had received emails regarding the cancellation of the show they were attending.
The Europe and UK dates remain unaffected.
At the time of writing, it’s unsure why the North American shows were pushed back.
Earlier this year, the hip-hop star was arrested after allegedly choking his pregnant girlfriend in a row over a paternity test.
The 26-year-old rapper was accused of grabbing the unnamed woman by the throat and holding onto her neck until she gasped for air on December 20, TMZ reported in February.
The rap star – whose real name is Jordan Carter – was arrested for felony aggravated assault in Georgia.
The female, who said she was 14 weeks pregnant at the time, feared for her life, according to the arrest affidavit form obtained by the outlet.
According to her statement, a witness attempted to stop the alleged physical altercation but after she ran to her car, the woman claims she ran to her car to phone 911, but Carti allegedly tried to get her out of the car and put his hand over her mouth.
Upon their arrival, Police reportedly found injuries on her neck, chest, and back.
However, Carter was released on bond a day after his arrest.
The rapper’s lawyer had branded the accusations made by the female false.
Attorney Brian Steel told TMZ: “Mr. Carter was falsely accused.
“Pursuant to my communications with the Fulton County District Attorney‘s office, this case will be dismissed without any prosecution or litigation.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Niall Horan paid tribute to the late Sinead O’Connor with a rousing cover of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at Ireland’s Electric Picnic festival.
The former One Direction star conducted the crowd for one big sing-along of the iconic Irish singer’s 1990 hit cover of the Prince ballad at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland.
Before performing the track, Niall said: “You know what to do.”
He then transitioned into 1D’s ‘Story Of My Life’.
On his homecoming, Niall said: “I can’t even put into words how much this means to me for being here tonight.
“It’s good to be back to the midlands and to be here at the famous Electric Picnic with all of you beautiful Irish people.”
The 29-year-old pop star, who grew up about an hour away in Mullingar, confessed: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous for a gig in my whole f****** life. But I know you’ve got my back.
“This is by far the biggest audience I’ve played to as a solo artist and I really appreciate the support from my home nation.”
In July, Foo Fighters teamed up with Alanis Morissette to pay tribute to Sinead at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival.
Dave Grohl’s band were on the bill alongside the ‘Ironic’ star, and they joined forces to put on a special performance dedicated to the late singer who passed away on Wednesday, July 26 aged 56.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave told the crowd: “For a very special reason, ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome to sing a song with us, Alanis Morissette. We’re singing this song for a reason tonight.”
Alanis then added: “For a beautiful woman, with high intelligence and deep empathy, way ahead of her time, who’s no longer with us, this is for her.”
They then performed Sinead’s track ‘Mandinka’ – the second song from her 1987 debut album ‘The Lion and the Cobra’.
After they finished, Alanis told the audience: “May Sinead rest in some peace.”
Sinead was found dead at a flat in Herne Hill, south London, just weeks after moving to the city.
Following the tragedy, her family confirmed the sad news in a statement which read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Though the cause of death was not made public, her passing was not treated as suspicious.
Sinead’s death came 18 months after the mum-of-four’s son Shane, 17, took his own life in January 2022 after leaving a hospital where he was on suicide watch.

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OHMYGOSSIP — UB40 featuring Ali Campbell are embarking on ‘The Hits Tour’ next year.
The Reggae legends will bring all the hits – including ‘Cherry Oh Baby’, ‘Many Rivers to Cross’, ‘Please Don’t Make Me Cry’, and ‘Red Red Wine’ – to arenas across the UK, kicking off on April 6 in Liverpool, before going on to Glasgow, Leeds, London’s The O2, Birmingham, Cardiff, and wrapping Nottingham on April 16.
Today (04.09.23), the band will be inducted into the Music Walk of Fame with a stone on Camden High Street and will play an intimate show at London’s Koko.
Next week also marks 40 years since the release of UB40’s seminal album ‘Labour of Love’ on September 12, 1983.
For all dates, excluding Glasgow, collaborator and peer Bitty McLean will open for the ‘Kingston Town’ hitmakers.
The tour comes after Astro – whose real name was Terence Oswald Wilson – passed away in November 2021 at the age of 64 after a “very short illness”. He played percussion and trumpet and sang and rapped in UB40.
Speaking before playing a Hampton Court Palace Festival show last summer, Ali admitted it would be hard for him to get back on stage without his long-time friend with him.
He said: “It’s going to be incredibly difficult without Astro by my side. But, remembering Astro, let the music play on.”
Tickets for UB40 featuring Ali Campbell’s ‘The Hits Tour’ 2024 are on sale on Friday (08.09.23) at 10am, and will be available from MyTicket.co.uk.

UB40 featuring Ali Campbell’s 2024 UK tour dates:

6 April Liverpool M S Bank Arena
7 April Glasgow SEC Armadillo*
9 April Leeds First Direct Arena
11 April London The O2
13 April Birmingham Utilita Arena
14 April Cardiff Utilita Arena
16 April Nottingham Motorpoint Arena

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OHMYGOSSIP — Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are reuniting on the track ‘Bongos’.
The last time the rap idols joined forces was on the extremely explicit ‘WAP’ in 2020.
Despite receiving a backlash for its raunchy lyrics, the popular song went seven times platinum.
The new tune will arrive on Friday (08.09.23) and comes with a striking cover of the pair in bright purple and blue barley-there lingerie.
Meanwhile, Cardi, 30, previously revealed she was pitted against Megan, 28, when she came onto the scene.
Before they dropped their collaboration, Cardi claims people automatically assumed they didn’t like each other because the rappers weren’t seen hanging out together.
She told XXL magazine: “You know, when Megan [Thee Stallion] came out, people for a whole year was like, ‘I never seen Cardi and Megan together. I know they don’t f****** like each other.’ I feel like people kept putting me against her and everything. I was like, Damn. That sucks. Because I like her music. But I don’t know her. So, it’s just like what could people …”
Cardi also recalled how “natural” her collaboration with the ‘Savage’ hitmaker was, and how they randomly congratulate and compliment each other all the time.
The interviewer picked up: “Just because we both rap, doesn’t mean we automatically know each other. We’re not all just hanging out together.”
The ‘Up’ hitmaker agreed: “Yes. Exactly. And then, like, when I met her, you know, it was just dope, and it was a very natural, smooth [meeting]. We did a song, and it went so smoothly and it went so well. Even with this ‘WAP’ performance [for the Grammys], it went so smoothly. It went so well. And sometimes I get on social media, and I do good, and she randomly congratulates me. And, I will congratulate her as well. I’m gonna always show her love. Like, it’s just a super respect thing. But we don’t be hanging out. ’Cause I don’t hang out. I’m like a home potato … couch potato, you know what I’m saying? I just want to be home, have sex and be with my kid. That’s what I want to do.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — James Blunt will never get bored of singing ‘You’re Beautiful’.
The 49-year-old star enjoyed immense success with the chart-topping ballad upon its release in 2005 and was able to buy a house with the royalties he earned from it, so would “never entertain” the idea of not performing it at a gig.
He told the Radio Times magazine: “It riles me immensely when people say I must be bored of it. Why on earth would I be? It’s the cornerstone of my career – it bought me this house! It’s not necessarily the biggest moment of the concert, because fans have their own favourites, but I would never entertain the notion of dropping it. There’d be a ton of men going, ‘Well, I was only here for that one…'”
The ‘Goodbye My Lover’ singer is due to release his seventh studio album ‘Who We Used to Be’ in October but admitted that sometimes it is the “slightly emptier” tracks that receive the most airplay because record labels are keen to get “generic” songs on the radio.
He said: “Record labels want to get songs on the radio, and these tend to be the most generic ones. I’d much rather we picked the best song. When I try to write a song for the radio, they tend to be slightly emptier.”
Meanwhile, James served as a judge on the seventh season of ‘The X Factor Australia’ in 2015 alongside Chris Isaak, Guy Sebastian, and Dannii Minogue but admitted he “didn’t enoy” the experience because it was “quite painful” to see bosses chasing ratings rather than talent.
He said: “I didn’t enjoy it, and I struggle with The X Factor, because it’s more TV show than music competition. The winners are always the judges’ choices rather than the ones who do best each week. Seeing these hopefuls with their 15 minutes, and their dreams shattered for ratings, I find quite painful.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sir Brian May is “apprehensive” about the rise of AI.
The 76-year-old rock star – who is best known as part of Queen – believes that by 2024, the entire structure of the industry will be “completely different” as artificial intelligence could mean that this year is the last one that the music scene will be “dominated” by human beings.
He is quoted by The Daily Star’s Wired column as saying: “I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different. We won’t know which way is up. We won’t know what’s been created by Al and what’s been created by humans. Everything is going to get very blurred and very confusing, and I think we might look back on 2023 as the last year when humans really dominated the music scene. I really think it could be that serious, and that doesn’t fill me with joy. It makes me feel apprehensive.”
The ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ hitmaker went on to add that there is an “incredibly huge potential” for AI to do “evil” within the world and thinks it could ultimately lead to global domination and death if it becomes involved in the real of politics.
He said: “The potential for Al to cause evil is, obviously, incredibly huge – not just in music but people can die if Al gets involved in politics and world domination for various nations.”
Brian previously predicted that AI could be one of a number of things that could bring “an end” to human civilisation.
He told the Metro newspaper: “Perhaps the end of our civilisation will be brought about by a nuclear bomb, hunger, pollution, by a loss of habitat, AI, a pandemic. Maybe an asteroid strike, or a cataclysmic eruption of Earth’s magma”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Rachel Stevens feels like “no time has passed” since her heyday in S Club.
The 45-year-old pop star is gearing up to get back on the road with the ‘Reach’ hitmakers – who first enjoyed a string of hit singles from 1999 until 2003 – next month for a reunion tour but after bandmate Paul Cattermole died earlier this year at the age of 46, the group has decided to call the show the ‘Good Times Tour’, in honour of a track he was set to perform.
She told The Mirror: “It’s a weird one because so much time has passed, but yet when we’re together in a room there’s so many memories, and so many laughs and jokes that we share from back in the day. It’s almost like no time has passed in some ways.
“We have renamed the tour. It’s called the Good Times tour, that was Paul’s solo song that he was going to do an acoustic version of, so we just felt like that was so fitting. Paul is with us on so many decisions that we make, we think of Paul and there’s so many sort of elements that are there with him in mind. It’s definitely gonna be a huge celebration. It is so much fun, so much joy, lots of memories, and it’s a tribute to him.”
Rachel will be joined by Jon Lee, Tina Barrett, Jo O’Meara and Bradley McIntosh on the tour, and even though Hannah Spearritt decided to drop out of the show following Paul’s death, the door has been left open for her to come back to the band whenever she wishes.
Rachel added: “The door’s always open for Hannah, but she won’t be on the tour!”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Seal feels “lucky” that he was able to “sing his way out of poverty”.
The 60-year-old musician – whose real name is Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel – was brought up by a foster family in London before performing in local clubs and eventually found success in the 1980s and admitted that he has achieved things he could only have “dreamed of.”
He told The Guardian newspaper: “I mainly just feel lucky that I was able to sing my way out of poverty and sing my way into people’s favour. The last 30 years of my life have been exceptional – I have done things I could have only dreamed about.”
However, the ‘Kiss from a Rose’ hitmaker – who has sold 20 million records worldwide – went on to add that he detests the word “celebrity” and that he prefers to define himself through his musical abilities.
He added: “It was a pain in the a***. I can’t stand the word celebrity because it has such a negative connotation of implying being famous for the sake of being famous. As far as I was concerned, I was always a musician and I have never considered myself a celebrity. I don’t need to look in OK! magazine to understand who I am. I am no longer in that circus.
“When I perform, I sing to remind people to connect with each other because I have a lot of faith in us as a species,” he says. “I think we do some pretty screwed-up things, but at our core we are of love and that is the purpose of life. The fact that I can sing and have that love reciprocated is extremely rare. I do for a living something that, in essence, is who I am.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — U2 will miss drummer Larry Mullen Jr when they start their Las Vegas residency without him behind the kit.
The ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ rockers are set to kick off their ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere’ run on September 29, but they will be taking to the stage without Larry as he is still recovering from surgery, and so Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg is filling in.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column, bassist Adam Clayton said: “The whole band and I’m sure the audience are going to be very sad and miss Larry.
“He wants to come back, he wants to be able to have a long career and continue his drumming so he’s taking care of those injuries.”
Bono, Adam and guitarist The Edge will take to the stage with Krezip drummer Bram, and they have their bandmate’s blessing.
Adam added: “He’s very much behind the idea of us going on stage with Bram.
“I’m sure for Larry it’s a difficult moment to know that your band are going on stage and you’re not with them.”
The musician pointed out that the ‘With or Without You’ group had to adjust a few years ago “when Bono couldn’t perform with us”, which led to some surprise guests.
He recalled: “Bruce Springsteen stepped in which is quite a strange one as well, actually Chris Martin did a turn as well.
“It happens in the life of bands.
“I think Larry is probably quite sanguine about it and realises he needs to get his health back together again.”
Announcing their stint of shows at the Sphere, the band admitted they were facing a tough task taking on the gigs without their bandmate.
Back in March, they said: “It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right.
“The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band.
“Bottom line, U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro has pulled out of the band’s world tour so he can spend more time with his family.
The 51-year-old musician – who joined the band in 2015 – had been due to perform with the group on the North American leg of their ‘Crush The World’ tour which kicks off in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Wednesday (06.09.23) after previously touring around Europe – however, Kiko has decided to step away from the trek to be with his children.
In a statement shared via Instagram, he explained: “I have something that is difficult to share, but we always like to keep you informed with the truth. I have to leave the tour for now, to be home with my children, and to help them face the difficult challenges that arise from us being ‘dads that work away from home’.”
He added that frontman Dave Mustaine supports his decision and fans will see musician Teemu Mantysaari filling in for him at the upcoming shows throughout the autumn.
Kiko added: “I found a guitarist, Teemu Mantysaari, to fill in for me during the fall, and I think you’ll be very happy. He’s an amazing, incredible player. I have shared this with my partner in shred, Dave Mustaine, and to no surprise, he said: ‘Go! Go be there for your family and keep us posted!’ To my bandmates and all our fans around the world, see you all very soon, back out on the Killing Road.”
The statement from Mustaine added: “We will not be cancelling the tour and we will introduce you to Teemu on September 6th in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Revel Arena. We are asking for your support and understanding at this time.”
Kiko is married to fellow musician Maria Ilmoniemi and they are parents to daughter Livia, who was born in 2011, and twins Dante and Stella who arrived in 2016.

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