In a low light setting, a person is touching a DJ turntable to create a song or mix. | Photo / Pexels
Ticketmaster’s bad ‘Reputation’ -November 15 :
With the release of Taylor Swift’s new album ‘Midnights’, she announced her sixth world tour under the title ‘The Eras Tour’. This tour is to encompass all different albums and the corresponding “era” that they all fall under. Following the attention that ‘Midnights’ received, many fans knew that tickets would be hard to come by for the new tour. Some verified fans were awarded codes to enter into a presale waiting pool, while other fans also logged onto the Ticketmaster site hoping to be able to get presale tickets as well. This mix of fans and bots quickly shut down the sight from high traffic numbers. By the second day of presale, a day before tickets would be released to the public, Ticketmaster closed down ticket sales due to, “insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand”, the company reported. Fans were outraged and so was Swift as she issued a statement the morning of November 18 stating, “It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.” Ticketmaster issued a statement that night apologizing for the incident and promising that the company would work on refining technology to support larger groups in the future. A Senate hearing was conducted on January 24 to discuss live-ticket monopolies.
The sun goes down on Elton John’s American tours -November 20:
47 years after Sir Elton John’s first performance at Dodgers Stadium, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer concludes the American leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ in the stadium that launched him into superstardom. The tour wrapped up his almost 50-year touring career in the states, which was earlier postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and hip surgery that John went through in 2021. The tour ended with a three-concert run at Dodger’s Stadium that “grossed $23.5 million and sold 143,000 tickets” according to Billboard. The final concert of the tour was streamed live from the stadium on Disney+ and was a star-studded event with concert-goers including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Lizzo and Taron Egerton (who played the star in 2019’s ‘Rocketman’). The concert lineup included his hit songs with duets from Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile and Kiki Dee.
Old songs gaining popularity again:
After the past few crazy years, some people have been finding comfort in the music of the past. These songs have earned a spot in the hearts of people all over the world once again:
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”- After being used in season four of ‘Stranger Things’ this song skyrocketed to popularity and created many trends on TikTok. The song only originally reached number 30 on the “Billboard Hot 100” chart in 1985, but in 2022 it reached the number one spot on the same chart 37 years later.
Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”- The ‘Stanger Things’ theme continued when this song was featured in the season four finale of the show. The song re-entered the charts for the first time since its’ release in 1986. The band released a statement on their Instagram page saying, “It’s an incredible honor to be such a big part…and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show.”
The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck”- Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ used this song in a dance scene that was choreographed by the star of the show Jenna Ortega. The scene inspired internet trends of people copying the dance, but some changed the music to Lady Gaga’s ‘Bloody Mary’.
BTS Break for military service:
All members of the popular K-Pop group will be completing military service in the coming years. In South Korea, all men ages 18-35 are required to serve in the military for at least 18 months. There are exceptions to this law for athletes and performers, but the exception only includes traditional and classical musicians. There is no listing for performers in the pop genre. The label Big Hit Music reassured fans that the group intends on coming back together in 2025 after all the members have completed their respective service requirements.
