NEW YORK (AP) — Decades into his career and the unthinkable happened. It was 2022, and Jon Bon Jovi began struggling through his songs. He saw a doctor who said one of his vocal cords was atrophying. He needed major surgery.
Bon Jovi had the procedure, and in the years since, has undergone extensive rehab, leading to the current moment: Next summer his band, Bon Jovi, will embark on their first tour in four years.
The “Forever Tour” kicks off with four nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden before the band heads to Edinburgh, Scotland; Dublin and London.
“There is a lot of joy in this announcement — joy that we can share these nights together with our amazing fans and joy that the band can be together,” Bon Jovi said in a statement. “I’ve spoken extensively on my gratitude but I will say it again, I’m deeply grateful that the fans and the brotherhood of this band have been patient and allowed me the time needed to get healthy and prepare for touring. I’m ready and excited!”
Bon Jovi’s last concert was held on April 30, 2022, in Nashville — as seen in the 2024 Hulu documentary, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.”
An artist presale begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern. General sales launch Oct. 31, also at 10 a.m. Eastern, via bonjovi.com.
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Denver prosecutors on Tuesday opened their long-awaited criminal case against former business owner Jay Bianchi, who is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting three women at his Grateful Dead-themed bars between 2020 and 2024, as well as drugging another man and a woman during that time period.
“This is not about character or lifestyles or choices the victims may have made,” said chief deputy DA Chris Curtis in his opening statements. “It’s not a memory test … (and) it’s absolutely not some kind of gigantic conspiracy against Jay Bianchi. So don’t get distracted. Focus on the evidence.”
Bianchi, 56, was arrested in April 2024 and charged with three counts of sexual assault dating to Oct. 31, 2020, in the 700 block of East Colfax Avenue; one count of unlawful sexual contact, a misdemeanor, on Nov. 1, 2020, in the 900 block of West First Avenue; and three counts of felony sexual assault on April 7, 2024, in the same block of West First Avenue.
He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
The first sexual assault, alleged by Bonnie Utter, took place following a Halloween party at Sancho’s Broken Arrow, formerly at 741 E. Colfax Ave., in 2020. Utter’s friend Kylie Heringer, who worked as a sound engineer for Bianchi, also alleged that Bianchi groped her the next day in his office at So Many Roads Brewery, formerly at 918 W. First Ave., and that Bianchi attempted to discredit the women with character assassination and coercion. Both of his businesseshave since closed.
The Denver Post is identifying Utter and Heringer because they previously agreed to speak to the newspaper about their experiences.
Another woman identified during the proceedings alleged she was sexually assaulted by Bianchi in March 2024, and a man and a woman separately said that Bianchi drugged them — in the man’s case, for attempting to intervene in a conflict at Sancho’s. All will testify as part of the case, Curtis said.
Bianchi, dressed in a black jacket with a maroon tie, sat expressionless most of Tuesday as he watched each witness and speaker, occasionally taking notes. His case has been delayed multiple times as more people have come forward to make claims against him. Bianchi, who has several past arrests and convictions for drug charges and assault, has denied those allegations in multiple interviews with The Denver Post. His past convictions and arrests were not mentioned on Tuesday.
The trial, which could potentially last through mid-November, began Friday with a jury and evidence review that ran through Monday. On Tuesday, the first witnesses were called: a pair of police detectives and a former nurse from Denver Health who conducted a sexual-assault examination of Utter after she reported it on Nov. 1, 2020.
Bianchi’s defense team on Tuesday vigorously maintained his innocence. In her opening statements, deputy state public defender Megan Jungsun Lee previewed a strategy that will cast the prosecutor’s witnesses and experts as tainted by misinformation and rumors on social media, as well as news reports in The Denver Post and Westword.
“You will hear that during this time … that gossip, speculation assumptions were repeated again and again,” Lee said during opening statements. She also cast doubt on the years-long, on-and-off Denver Police Department investigation into the assaults, which she said had been compromised by the gossip-driven narrative and by news reports.
“Ms. Utter was alert,” Lee said of the events before the alleged assault on Nov. 1, 2020, noting that defense witnesses saw Bianchi and Utter “cuddled up.” The pair was laughing and holding hands as they went downstairs to the basement at Sancho’s that night, Lee said.
That’s where Utter said the assault took place. However, there was no evidence she was unable to make her own choices despite consuming alcohol, cocaine and cannabis that night, Lee said.
“(Bianchi) did not hand her a drink, touch her drink, offer her food or offer her drugs,” Lee added. “There is no evidence he caused her any kind of fear or made any threat. She was fully capable of exercising her own free will.”
The District Attorney’s Office spent much of Tuesday afternoon establishing the physical layout of So Many Roads with dozens of on-site photos, which included an unidentified substance in a baggie in Bianchi’s office, where Heringer’s assault allegedly took place.
In March 2024, a woman alleged she was raped by Bianchi, also at So Many Roads Brewery, which was co-owned by Tyler Bishop. That bar closed the next month, having been the subject of Denver Police Department stings for underage drinking and drug sales. Bianchi had also been the subject of protests outside the brewery in June 2021, after Utter and Heringer came forward to discuss their experiences, first on social media and later with The Denver Post. Local musicians who felt they had been mistreated by Bianchi rallied during the protest.
“We will sit here as long as it takes,” Curtis said, noting that the DA’s office will call a mix of eyewitnesses, detectives and experts who can comment on toxicology and crime lab results, sexual assault, consent, how memory works, and various firsthand details of the investigation.
Bianchi has been a fixture of Colorado’s jam-band scene for more than two decades, previously owning and booking bands at “Don Quixote”-inspired venues including Quixote’s True Blue, Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey, Be on Key Psychedelic Ripple, and Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom.
Joe Jonas wants to set the record straight on rumors he snorted cocaine while performing at a recent concert.
Joe, 36, addressed the speculation in an interview with Esquire published on Monday, October 20, saying, “I’ve never touched cocaine in my life. But if I did, I think I’d be a little slicker about it than doing it onstage.”
Fan footage of Joe’s September show at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles showed the singer checking his nose in a mirror, then wiping it. As the video circulated online, observers wondered if he was using cocaine. At the time, Joe weighed in on the clip, joking, “lol you never had a booger?”
In his Esquire conversation, Joe also addressed his 2024 divorce from British actress Sophie Turner following five years of marriage. The exes share two daughters, Willa, 5, and Delphine 3, and last month, Joe flew to London to “walk them to their first days of school,” the outletreported.
Joe Jonas is throwing his support behind ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift‘s new album, The Life of a Showgirl. In a new digital cover story with his brothers for Esquire, published Monday, October 20, Jonas, 36, admitted he’s only “heard some of” Swift’s 12th record, which was released earlier this month. “I think she’s obviously the biggest […]
As for Joe’s current love life, his touring schedule with brothers Kevin, 37, and Nick, 33, makes dating a challenge.
“Five shows in a row doesn’t make it easy to meet someone for coffee,” the self-described “extremely online” musician told the outlet, adding, “I guess Instagram and TikTok are apps, and I’ve met people that way.”
When asked for his take on ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Joe replied, “I’ve heard some of it. I think she’s obviously the biggest artist out there, and I think it’s good. Everybody’s got an opinion about it, but from what I’ve heard, there are some catchy melodies.”
In August, Joe reunited with another famous ex — Demi Lovato — when she helped kick off the JONAS20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Joe and Lovato, 33, performed “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” their duet from Disney Channel’s 2010 Camp Rock sequel.
Joe Jonas‘ love life has made headlines over the years as he navigated dating in the public eye. Shortly after the musician started dating Taylor Swift in 2008, their messy split became a topic of conversation. Following three months together, the Pennsylvania native revealed that Jonas broke up with her in a 27-second phone call. […]
The duo played onscreen love interests Mitchie and Shane in the film, also sparking a real-life romance years ago.
“I really got to know her and got to see the ins and outs of what she was struggling with,” Joe told Vulture in 2013, referring to Lovato’s battle with substance abuse. “I felt like I needed to take care of her, but at the same time, I was living a lie because I wasn’t happy but felt like I had to stay in it for her because she needed help. I couldn’t express any of that, of course, because I had a brand to protect.”
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Recently, Joe reflected on his early fame and the media attention directed toward the purity rings he and his siblings wore as a promise to save themselves for marriage.
“Famously, we were known for, like, purity rings, which were something in the community of a church where that was, like, what everybody else our age were doing around 10, 11 years old. Like, we’re going to wait for the right person,” Joe explained on Penn Badgley’s “Podcrushed” podcast in July.
Joe Jonas‘ love life has made headlines over the years as he navigated dating in the public eye. Shortly after the musician started dating Taylor Swift in 2008, their messy split became a topic of conversation. Following three months together, the Pennsylvania native revealed that Jonas broke up with her in a 27-second phone call. […]
He added, “One person on an interview — when you’re 15, 16 — would ask you about it, and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to talk about this,’ and then they’re like, ‘Well, I’m going to write that you guys are in a cult.’”
In the words of LL Cool J, don’t call it a comeback.
So, I won’t. Let’s go with part-very-loyal-pre-existing-fan-base, part-resurgence, then. That’s what it feels like to a non-Jonatic, when the Jonas Brothers somehow keep popping up on their feed – most recently, in an ad for A Very Jonas Christmas Movie, coming to Disney+ on November 14.
The year 2025 is definitely part of the reason, as it’s Kevin, Joe, and Nick’s 20th anniversary as a band. To mark the occasion, the New Jersey-born brothers have been keeping busy. There was JonasCon in March; a live album, Live from the O2 London, in June; and a studio album, Greetings from Your Hometown, in August. Not to mention a few collaborations with artists like Marshmello and Rascal Flatts, Joe’s second album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, released back in May, and the announcement of a Camp Rock 3 incoming.
And, of course, there’s the Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour, which brought the band to the Toyota Center last night.
The family affair of it all extended past Kevin, Joe, and Nick, as brother-in-law Michael Deleasa performed DJ sets before the openers and right before the brothers took the stage. And, of course, the first opener of the evening was Franklin Jonas.
Franklin Jonas performing at the Toyota Center during the Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour. Credit: Jennifer Lake
“I think a lot of us grew up together,” said Franklin. “See, I’m a lot of y’all’s little brother, and I’m so grateful that I am, tell you what.”
Just five years old when his brothers released their debut album in 2006, Franklin has since grown up and moved on to self-awarely co-hosting the celebrity-relative reality show Claim to Fame with Kevin and releasing his own EP in 2023. With guitar and banjo backing him up, Franklin performed a 15-minute set of original songs from his current project, Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines, along with covers of George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and Coldplay’s “Yellow.”
During “Yellow,” he jumped off the stage, crossed the floor, and made the trek up into the club level, eventually traversing from sections 110 to 117. Though the moment had the arena buzzing, his stripped-down, country-tinged introspection brought an unexpected depth to the night. Songs like “Village Liquors,” with lines like “Too young to live, too young to die / I’m the aftermath of youth I sacrifice,” and “Road Soda,” with its refrain “Nothing I love more than hating my life,” marked him as a grittier, moodier counterpoint to the coming main event.
The All-American Rejects performing at the Toyota Center during the Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour. Credit: Jennifer Lake
The All-American Rejects, guests at the aforementioned JonasCon, were up next. And as soon as the lights went down, fans in black-and-white checkered pants and band tees – mostly JoBros – jumped out of their seats for some light headbanging.
Founded in Oklahoma in 1999, the band leaned right into that nostalgia with their lead-off song, “Dirty Little Secret,” from 2005’s Move Along, before tearing through the rest of their high-energy, nine-song set. Turns out, two decades later, those mid-2000s pop-punk anthems have not lost their punch, as fans happily bopped along to the band’s breakthrough hit, “Swing, Swing,” and sneered out the chorus of “Gives You Hell” like they were just waiting for the chance.
Frontman and bassist Tyson Ritter was unpredictable and playful, bantering freely with the crowd (and sometimes, inexplicably, in a German accent). There was a back-and-forth with a fan who brought a sign that said, simply, “Reject me.”
“All right, well. Proposition me,” Ritter countered to the sound of laughter and catcalls.
Much to the audience’s delight, the love fest went both ways. “We play a lot of these JoBros shows,” he told the crowd, “and I’ll tell you what, this crowd right here—you jumpers, you people that are actually into this shit—I am all about.” So about it, he pulled out a “giant invisible knife” and said: “I’m dipping it into the invisible honey and I’m spreading it all over your ass cracks that’s how much I love you. And I will happily eat a sandwich out of that place – that’s how endeared I am.”
Unsurprisingly, Ritter noted that “the JoBros team” don’t like it when he swears.
Kevin Jonas during the Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour at the Toyota Center. Credit: Jennifer Lake
Almost exactly on time, the lights dropped for the last time, and the arena erupted as the Jonas Brothers cracked open a time capsule with “Year 3000,” the Busted cover that launched their Disney-era fame. The song was met with deafening screams. There’s no way to say for sure, but it seemed everyone in the building knew, and shouted, every lyric. The brothers jumped to the present with “Love Me to Heaven,” the first single off Greetings from Your Hometown. They also took the opportunity to do some introductions.
“Tonight, we are celebrating 20 years together, and not just the three of us on this stage, but each and every one of you who’s part of this story,” said Nick.
From there and across the hour and 45 minutes they stayed on stage, the atmosphere remained celebratory and joyous, stretching across the years as the band seamlessly threaded early hits like “S.O.S.” and “Lovebug” into their set alongside their more recent material. This included five tracks off Greetings, showing that while their sound has grown and evolved, their pop instincts are perfectly intact. That sound, by the way, was further brought to life by an impressive 11-piece backing band with a particularly well-utilized horn section.
Joe Jonas performing during the Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour at the Toyota Center. Credit: Jennifer Lake
Between songs, the brothers’ camaraderie and warmth came through. Joe dedicated “Little Bird” to parents and anyone who plays a parental role and later led a fan-request segment that produced snippets of deep cuts like “Got Me Going Crazy,” “You Got the Right,” and “Inseparable.” “Spaceman,” requested by Kevin for Nick, drew loud cheers for its Houston mention.
Luckily, the set list had room for a couple of solo spotlights. Joe turned the arena into a dance party with “Cake by the Ocean,” introduced by his DNCE guitarist JinJoo Lee, while Nick’s sultry “Jealous” showed his skill for R&B-infused pop. Colombian singer Ela Taubert emerged onto the stage to join Joe for “¿Cómo Pasó?,” a song she performed with him at last year’s Latin Grammys, and stayed for the following song, “Slow Motion.”
The night’s nostalgia reached its peak during a Camp Rock sing-along. Collectively, “Play My Music,” “Gotta Find You,” and “Introducing Me” got some of the biggest pops of the night. But as the night wound down, the focus shifted from those Disney Channel memories to something more personal.
Before the confetti and goodbyes, the brothers circled back to where it all began with “Please Be Mine,” the first song they ever wrote together. Finally, Franklin returned to the stage to join them for “When You Look Me in the Eyes.” Together, the two songs triumphantly underscored the tour’s familial and retrospective themes, and the celebration was complete.
Nick Jonas performing at the Toyota Center. Credit: Jennifer Lake
Set List
Franklin Jonas Break a Leg Yellow All My Ex’s Live in Texas Road Soda Village Liquors
All-American Rejects Dirty Little Secret Someday’s Gone Swing, Swing I Wanna Sweat Search Party! Move Along Easy Come, Easy Go Gives You Hell
Jonas Brothers Year 3000 Love Me to Heaven Only Human Mirror to the Sky Don’t Throw It Away S.O.S. Sucker Little Bird Fan Requests: Got Me Going Crazy, You Got the Right, Inseparable, Spaceman Waffle House Vacation Eyes Celebrate! No Time to Talk Cake by the Ocean Jealous ¿Cómo Pasó? Slow Motion Backwards Play My Music Gotta Find You Introducing Me Lovebug Leave Before You Love Me Burnin’ Up Please Be Mine When You Look Me in the Eyes
Limp Bizkit’s singer Fred Durst has shared a heartfelt video tribute to his late bandmate Sam Rivers following the bassist’s passing. On Saturday, the band announced that Sam had died at age 48 after a battle with liver disease. To the group, he was more than just their bassist, he was also a brother and the driving force behind their sound. As tributes flooded in from fans around the world, Fred opened up about the deep sadness he feels over losing one of his closest friends. In a video posted on social media, he described Sam as “gifted, unbelievably sweet and a wonderful person.”
He spoke fondly of the first time he met Sam, and how he knew he was the right person for the band. “I had this idea and vision for this particular type of style and sound, and I just couldn’t get it together right,” he shared. “And so I decided, ‘I’m gonna go out and find the right players to do this and bring this thing together.’ I went into this little tiny bar/pub where this band was playing at Jax Beach called Pier 7. And there Sam was on the stage with his band, killing it on the bass. And I went, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy’s amazing.’”
“And in my mind, it was, you had to start with the, the rhythm section, the bass and the drums, and [I] didn’t know who I was gonna meet first,” the singer went on. “To put this idea together. Didn’t know if it’d be the drummer or the bass player, but it was the bass player. I saw Sam play and I was blown away. He’s playing a five-string bass, too. I’d never really seen someone using a five-string bass and just, he was so smooth and good and he stood out, and I could hear nothing else but Sam, you know? Everything disappeared besides his gift.”
After speaking with Sam about his vision, the bassist agreed to join, and Fred went about piecing the band together. Sam invited his cousin John Otto to join as drummer. “John and Sam – it was a magical thing, the two of them,” Fred said.
Fred and Sam perform live onstage during the Reading Festival 2025
Fred also talked about how Sam was a very private person. “He’s a very, very special, genuine person, and when he got on that stage, it’s that Sam – that Sam Rivers came out and just… he’s a beast.
“I’m very fortunate to have him in my life, and, and I’m so grateful, so incredibly grateful to have shared part of this journey with Sam Rivers,” he shared, concluding: “A huge part of this journey, a huge part of my journey. I’m super, super grateful and I miss him terribly already. All the support and love out there I’ve seen online, it’s overwhelming. He really did have an impact on the world, and his music and his gift is the one that’s gonna keep on giving. And I just love him so much.”
Sharon Osbourne discusses her new FOX Nation series “Sharon Osbourne: To Hell & Back” on “The Five” at FOX News Channel Studios at FOX Studios on September 27, 2022 in New York City.(Steve Ferdman)
The Prince of Darkness was featured in a handful of photos Sharon posted in memory of Elvis.
Ozzy Osbourne died in July. He was 76.(Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Ozzy, who was born John Michael Osbourne on Dec. 3, 1948, and later earned the nickname “The Prince of Darkness,” was 76 at the time of his death. He passed away in July.
The Black Sabbath frontman was known as much for his indelible mark on the music industry as he was for his larger-than-life personality, whether on stage or in front of a camera while filming the massively successful reality show, “The Osbournes.”
Shortly after her husband’s death, Sharon returned to social media and explained that while she’s still finding her footing since Ozzy’s death, she wanted to share a video of her and daughter, Kelly Osbourne‘s falconry hobby.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne married on July 4, 1982.(Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
“Though I’m still finding my footing, I wanted to share some glorious creatures I had the chance to spend an afternoon with. The connection you make with these powerful birds is built entirely on trust and confidence.
“They’ll choose to perch on you only if they sense you are safe and unafraid of them. It’s a bond I know all too well, and the experience was nothing short of magical,” Sharon wrote.
Brandy walked off the stage Saturday during the Chicago stop of “The Boy is Mine” tour due to health issues.
In videos shared on social media, Brandy told the crowd at the United Center that she needed a minute offstage, but never returned to sing as part of her co-headlining tour with fellow R&B singer Monica.
On Sunday, the “Have You Ever” singer revealed she was suffering from dehydration and fatigue on stage, and apologized for ending the show so suddenly.
“I sincerely apologize for the abrupt end to last night’s performance in Chicago. After weeks of nonstop rehearsals, last night I experienced dehydration and feelings of wanting to faint. Everyone involved agreed that prioritizing my well-being was of the utmost importance.”
“I still made the decision to try and return and give it my all despite not feeling OK. With having to make some adjustments and the show being very technical, unfortunately, it was impossible to fully connect ionically with the production.”
Singers Brandy & Monica embarked on “The Boy Is Mine” tour earlier this year.(Todd Owyoung)
Brandy appreciated “everyone’s best efforts” to make the concert happen, including her performing partner.
“I’m deeply grateful to my sister, Monica, for stepping up with such grace and professionalism and the entire crew for their continued care and support,” she wrote.
“I went from the arena to see a doctor nearby and have taken the proper precautions to help moving forward. Your understanding, patience, and unwavering belief mean the world to me.”
Brandy and Monica topped the charts in 1998 with their hit “The Boy Is Mine.”(Vinnie Zuffante)
Despite the sudden end to Saturday’s concert, Brandy assured her fans she would be back on the stage in no time.
Brandy closed her statement, “I look forward to returning to the stage – stronger and more grateful than ever – alongside my girl, Monica, tonight in Indianapolis.”
Tracy Wright is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to Tracy.Wright@fox.com.
If you think you’ve never heard Ink, we guarantee you that you’re wrong! This GRAMMY-nominated songwriter has already made it onto your playlists with songs like Beyoncé’s ‘16 CARRIAGES,’ Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘luther,’ and Lay Bankz’s ‘Tell Ur Girlfriend.’ But now, she’s proudly stepping onto the stage with her own narratives and voice on her debut EP, BIG BUSKIN’, which proves that Ink is a vital storyteller defining this generation in music. We need music that connects and transforms us more than ever, and she has the perfect pen for the job.
Across 13 songs, Ink throws a moving ‘Hoedown’ that walks us through her love story with music, her views on persistence and tough times, and the passion that’s carried her through life. “They can steal your style, but they can’t steal your story,” she muses on the spoken opener, ‘Inktro,’ over a western-inspired soundscape. At the heart of each song lies Ink’s authenticity and pure, all-encompassing love for the music she makes, especially on emotive tracks like the incredible ‘God’s Been Drinkin’.’ Even the EP title is an ode to her love for her craft – some of her earliest musical pursuits involved busking and learning how to make her storytelling as moving as possible, and the ‘Tony Machine on 42nd’ interlude tells the story of one of those performances.
The hell with all that BS — press play and find out — real music is back!
Ink
We’re ‘Comin’ Back’ from our listening experience with some extra sweet news: we got to ask Ink all about BIG BUSKIN’, writing her truth, and her biggest inspirations! Press play on BIG BUSKIN’ then keep reading to learn more about the project from the musical genius who created it.
Hey Ink, congratulations on the EP release! What has it been like for you to drop it and see how much fans are loving it? It’s been incredible to drop the EP! Finally being able to say it’s out now is surreal.
There are so many thoughtful lyrics on your standout single ‘Sweet Tea,’ with one of our favorites being “we can’t take it back, so really we gotta live again.” Which line from the song are you most proud of? “Yeah, my granny never even cuss ‘til she got Alzheimer’s / Uh, real GOAT, greatest of all timers.”
The ‘Sweet Tea’ music video includes so many sweet home movie clips and throwback moments. What was it like for you to revisit so many memories for the song and video? It was the best part about it. It just took me back down memory lane. It felt so good to be back home and just have the spirit of my family and those that aren’t here anymore still be there to celebrate.
We’re so excited about your debut BIG BUSKIN’ EP! Which song were you most hyped for fans to hear and why? Which tracks are the most meaningful to you? They’re all meaningful to me, but I’m most hyped for fans to hear ‘Sweet Tea’ because they get to hear a little about the fam, and ‘All I Got’ since it really summarizes the EP. Plus all the inkerludes!
Inspired by ‘Turquoise Cowboy,’ which color do you think best matches the energy of BIG BUSKIN’? Turquoise with a little wood grain.
The BIG BUSKIN’ title nods to your own experiences busking around Atlanta, which you’ve described as “resilience in motion.” What’s something you learned during that phase of your musical journey that you’ve taken with you as you’ve grown? The world is a beautiful place, you’ve just gotta choose to see it.
In your recent INKtionary post on Instagram, you listed one of the definitions of BIG BUSKIN’ as “to live loud, global, and unapologetic – outlaw energy with superstar reach.” How do you stay true to yourself and your roots as your star rises? I just carry on the memory of the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met as I go. I take my boots off, get my feet in the grass, and connect to nature.
Alongside your own work, you have writing credits on iconic songs like Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘luther,’ Beyoncé’s ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,’ and Lil Nas X’s ‘STAR WALKIN’!’ How do you approach writing for another artist differently than writing for your own releases, and how do your experiences on those songs inform how you approach your music? Each artist has their own story, so I just see it as me being there to help serve them creatively. It helps me learn new things for my process, as each artist has a different process and story. They each teach me something different.
You told Billboard that you wrote the lyrics to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on flash cards one day after school – as a publication run by fans, we love the passion! Is there a certain song on the album that has most influenced you and your music? I think the whole album – it gives you the sense of creating a body of work. Some artists can make a few great songs, but she really made a great body of work.
From Beyoncé to Shaboozey and Post Malone, country is definitely ‘Comin’ Back’ to the mainstream spotlight lately! What do you feel makes country so moving, especially in a time when we need the magic of music more than ever? The storytelling!
You’ve called yourself “a faucet of creative energy that never runs out” to The Tennessean. When do you feel most inspired, and what inspires you most? Life and the people and places in it make me feel most inspired. I can just open my eyes and there’s a song waiting.
What can your fans look forward to in the rest of 2025/2026? Performing, pulling up, doing shows, and lots of great music. Next year I’ll also be dropping my debut album!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on? Pull up when you see the spill!
It sounds like BIG BUSKIN’ is just the very beginning, and we can’t wait to see what Ink will spill next! Thank you so much to Ink for answering our questions and pouring so much heart into every song you touch.
Now, honeybees, we have some questions for you! What are your favorite tracks on the BIG BUSKIN’ EP? Who do you hope to hear Ink write with in the future? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.
Nurse Rod Salaysay works with all kinds of instruments in the hospital: a thermometer, a stethoscope and sometimes his guitar and ukulele.
In the recovery unit of UC San Diego Health, Salaysay helps patients manage pain after surgery. Along with medications, he offers tunes on request and sometimes sings. His repertoire ranges from folk songs in English and Spanish to Minuet in G Major and movie favorites like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Patients often smile or nod along. Salaysay even sees changes in their vital signs like lower heart rate and blood pressure, and some may request fewer painkillers.
“There’s often a cycle of worry, pain, anxiety in a hospital,” he said, “but you can help break that cycle with music.”
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Salaysay is a one-man band, but he’s not alone. Over the past two decades, live performances and recorded music have flowed into hospitals and doctors’ offices as research grows on how songs can help ease pain.
Scientists explore how music affects pain perception
The healing power of song may sound intuitive given music’s deep roots in human culture. But the science of whether and how music dulls acute and chronic pain — technically called music-induced analgesia — is just catching up.
No one suggests that a catchy song can fully eliminate serious pain. But several recent studies, including in the journals Pain and Scientific Reports, have suggested that listening to music can either reduce the perception of pain or enhance a person’s ability to tolerate it.
What seems to matter most is that patients — or their families — choose the music selections themselves and listen intently, not just as background noise.
How music can affect pain levels
“Pain is a really complex experience,” said Adam Hanley, a psychologist at Florida State University. “It’s created by a physical sensation, and by our thoughts about that sensation and emotional reaction to it.”
Two people with the same condition or injury may feel vastly different levels of acute or chronic pain. Or the same person might experience pain differently from one day to the next.
Acute pain is felt when pain receptors in a specific part of the body — like a hand touching a hot stove — send signals to the brain, which processes the short-term pain. Chronic pain usually involves long-term structural or other changes to the brain, which heighten overall sensitivity to pain signals. Researchers are still investigating how this occurs.
“Pain is interpreted and translated by the brain,” which may ratchet the signal up or down, said Dr. Gilbert Chandler, a specialist in chronic spinal pain at the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic.
Researchers know music can draw attention away from pain, lessening the sensation. But studies also suggest that listening to preferred music helps dull pain more than listening to podcasts.
“Music is a distractor. It draws your focus away from the pain. But it’s doing more than that,” said Caroline Palmer, a psychologist at McGill University who studies music and pain.
Scientists are still tracing the various neural pathways at work, said Palmer.
“We know that almost all of the brain becomes active when we engage in music,” said Kate Richards Geller, a registered music therapist in Los Angeles. “That changes the perception and experience of pain — and the isolation and anxiety of pain.”
Music genres and active listening
The idea of using recorded music to lessen pain associated with dental surgery began in the late 19th century before local anesthetics were available. Today researchers are studying what conditions make music most effective.
Researchers at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands conducted a study on 548 participants to see how listening to five genres of music — classical, rock, pop, urban and electronic — extended their ability to withstand acute pain, as measured by exposure to very cold temperatures.
All music helped, but there was no single winning genre.
“The more people listened to a favorite genre, the more they could endure pain,” said co-author Dr. Emy van der Valk Bouman. “A lot of people thought that classical music would help them more. Actually, we are finding more evidence that what’s best is just the music you like.”
The exact reasons are still unclear, but it may be because familiar songs activate more memories and emotions, she said.
The simple act of choosing is itself powerful, said Claire Howlin, director of the Music and Health Psychology Lab at Trinity College Dublin, who co-authored a study that suggested allowing patients to select songs improved their pain tolerance.
“It’s one thing that people can have control over if they have a chronic condition — it gives them agency,” she said.
Active, focused listening also seems to matter.
Hanley, the Florida State psychologist, co-authored a preliminary study suggesting daily attentive listening might reduce chronic pain.
“Music has a way of lighting up different parts of the brain,” he said, “so you’re giving people this positive emotional bump that takes their mind away from the pain.”
It’s a simple prescription with no side effects, some doctors now say.
Cecily Gardner, a jazz singer in Culver City, California, said she used music to help get through a serious illness and has sung to friends battling pain.
“Music reduces stress, fosters community,” she said, “and just transports you to a better place.”
Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The life of a Domingo girl consists of a lot of vacations and secret rendezvous. Kelsey (Chloe Fineman) must have a lot of miles saved up. For the cold open sketch on October 18, Saturday Night Live brought back Domingo (Marcello Hernandez) for a 30th birthday party celebrating Matthew (Andrew Dismukes), and as always, it ends in another hookup uncovered. Kelsey’s besties (Sabrina Carpenter, Sarah Sherman, Ashley Padilla, and Veronika Slowikowska) sing a revealing version of Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” about their trip to Nashville to find a “really good gift for Matthew.” Which, in Kelsey’s world, means a “hoodie from Hudson News” and cheating.
After a transition to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Domingo finally arrives — he lives close by after all. He’s here to give Matthew the perfect gift: lower self-esteem and a reminder that he is having sex with his wife. “Kelsey, we got a noise complaint. We shook the whole hotel, noise complaint,” Domingo and the gals sing to the tune of Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which is the antithesis of this trio’s strange dynamic.
Sam Rivers, the bass player in the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, died on Saturday, according to social media posts by his band mates.
The band did not disclose where Rivers died or the circumstances, but praised him as “pure magic” and “the soul in the sound.”
“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced,” they wrote in a group Instagram post. “His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.”
Fred Durst, the band’s front man, posted a video recalling how they met at a club in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and went on to music stardom and performances around the globe.
“He really did have an impact on the world and his music and his gift is the one that’s going to keep on giving,” Durst said. “I just love him so much.”
Rivers had spoken of heavy drinking that had caused liver disease. He left the band in 2015 and received a liver transplant before reuniting with Limp Bizkit three years later.
Limp Bizkit has scheduled a tour of Central and South America to begin in Mexico City in late November.
Limp Bizkit, with roots in Jacksonville, Florida, emerged in the late 1990s with a sound that melds altenative rock, heavy metal and rap.
Their off-the-wall sense of humor is reflected in the titles of their mega-selling 2000 album, “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” and a single released last month, “Making Love to Morgan Wallen.”
Sam Rivers, the bass player in the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, died on Saturday, according to social media posts by his band mates.
The band did not disclose where Rivers died or the circumstances, but praised him as “pure magic” and “the soul in the sound.”
“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced,” they wrote in a group Instagram post. “His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.”
Fred Durst, the band’s front man, posted a video recalling how they met at a club in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and went on to music stardom and performances around the globe.
“He really did have an impact on the world and his music and his gift is the one that’s going to keep on giving,” Durst said. “I just love him so much.”
Rivers had spoken of heavy drinking that had caused liver disease. He left the band in 2015 and received a liver transplant before reuniting with Limp Bizkit three years later.
Limp Bizkit has scheduled a tour of Central and South America to begin in Mexico City in late November.
Limp Bizkit, with roots in Jacksonville, Florida, emerged in the late 1990s with a sound that melds altenative rock, heavy metal and rap.
Their off-the-wall sense of humor is reflected in the titles of their mega-selling 2000 album, “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” and a single released last month, “Making Love to Morgan Wallen.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Brandy Norwood and Monica Arnold’s Saturday, October 18, The Boy Is Mine Tour concert came to a screeching halt.
The two singers were in the middle of performing one of their duets on Saturday when Brandy, 46, suddenly walked offstage, according to social media footage.
“Wait, what? We’re all in shock,” one fan wrote via X. “How come Brandy left the stage halfway through the #theboyisminetour? No one knows what happened, but Monica had to close the concert alone and they didn’t sing ‘The Boy is Mine.’ She was [also] having audio problems.”
Neither Brandy nor Monica, 44, have publicly addressed the situation. Us Weekly reached out to reps for both stars for comment.
Monica and Brandy are hitting the road together nearly three decades after dropping their iconic duet “The Boy Is Mine.” The singers announced in June that they were coheadlining their first tour together. The tour is named after the pair’s hit song, “The Boy Is Mine,” which was released in 1998 and went on to […]
Brandy and Monica, known for their hit 1998 duet “The Boy Is Mine,” kicked off their joint tour earlier this month.
“This Moment 🖤These Times 🖤Our Music,” Brandy and Monica captioned a joint Instagram post on Friday, October 17. “We are proud of us and pray each night you all are proud of us as well. #BiggerThanMusic.”
The dynamic duo announced their coheadlining tour in June, revealing via social media that they would be performing across 27 cities in the United States from October to December.
“Monica and I coming together again isn’t just about the music — it’s about honoring where we came from and how far we’ve both come,” Brandy said in a statement at the time. “‘The Boy Is Mine’ was a defining chapter in R&B, and to share the stage all these years later is bigger than a reunion — it’s a celebration of growth, sisterhood and the love our fans have given us from day one.”
Holy nostalgia! Brandy and Monica gifted fans something they never knew they needed. The R&B icons joined forces for a TikTok duet on Thursday, February 18, recreating the intro of their 1998 hit “The Boy is Mine.” The brief video featured the pair lip-synching their parts, beginning with Brandy asking, “Excuse me, can I please […]
Monica echoed her fellow performer’s sentiments in her own statement.
“This tour is a celebration of our history, our impact, and the fans who have grown with us,” she wrote in a press release. “Brandy and I have been on our own unique journeys, and coming back together in this way is a reminder of the power of respect, strength and real music. We’re giving the people what they’ve been asking for, and doing it with grace, love and purpose. God’s timing perfectly aligned us.”
Monica later told Essence earlier this month that the Boy Is Mine Tour was a work of “divine timing.”
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“Stepping into this tour feels like a full-circle moment,” Brandy added to the outlet. “It’s a chance to honor where we’ve come from, to celebrate the people who’ve supported us from the very beginning, and to share the stage in a way that feels fresh, powerful and deeply connected to who we are now. It’s emotional, it’s inspiring and it reminds me that music really is timeless.”
She continued, “When we’re together, it creates a sense of balance and support that allows me to be fully present. Sharing that bond with her goes beyond the music — it reflects a mutual respect and understanding that’s been built over years of experiences.”
The Boy Is Mine Tour will also feature special performances from guests Kelly Rowland, Muni Long and Jamal Roberts.
The “Tears” singer, 26, pulled double duty as host and musical guest for SNL’s latest season 51 episode on Saturday, October 18. One shocking moment saw Carpenter twice use the word “f**k” during her performance “Nobody’s Song” without being bleeped on the East Coast feed, in an apparent technical glitch.
“Some people got a little freaked out by the cover,” she told viewers in her monologue. “I’m not sure why? It was just this: me on all fours, with an unseen figure pulling my hair. But what people don’t realize is that’s just how they cropped it. If you zoom out, it’s clearly a picture from the [Saturday Night Live] 50th anniversary special of Bowen [Yang] helping me up by the hair — after Martin Short shoved me out of the buffet line, saying something like, ‘Daddy need his mini quiche.’”
Carpenter then offered to “clear up some misconceptions” regarding her feelings about sexuality.
“Everyone thinks of me as this ‘horn dog’ pop star, but there’s really so much more to me,” she teased. “I’m not just horny. I’m also turned-on, and I’m sexually charged, and I love to read. My favorite book is the encyclopedia. It’s so big, and it’s hard.”
Despite being name-checked by Carpenter in her SNL monologue, cast member Yang actually missed Saturday’s show to attend an awards show in Los Angeles. (Yang still contributed to the writing and appeared in a pre-taped sketch.)
SNL also recently made headlines on October 11 when Charli XCXhad a cameo during musical guest Role Model’s performance of “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” Many suspected that Charli XCX’s decision to wear a “Max’s Kansas City” T-shirt may have been a not-so-subtle response to Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl song, “Actually Romantic,” which fans theorized was about a beef between the two stars. (Charli XCX, 33, declined to comment when asked directly about the supposed feud in an October 14 interview.)
Meanwhile, Carpenter has her own history with Swift, as she was a support act on the Latin American, Australian and Singaporean legs of the Eras Tour in 2024. Carpenter most recently duetted with Swift, 35, on the latter’s Life of a Showgirl title track.
Sabrina Carpenter and Marcello Hernández on “SNL” season 51.Courtesy NBC/YouTube
“The Life of a Showgirl” is the cautionary tale of a young dancer named Kitty who learns that show business is not “all flowers and magic,” according to Swift.
“When we were writing it, we finished it, and I just kind of thought, I want Sabrina to sing on this so bad,” Swift explained during her Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl event. “She’s someone who’s really well equipped for this career.”
Swift went on, “She’s so good at moving through backlash or criticism, or people being unfair to her or picking her apart. She has the temperament to pivot and use it as fuel.”
Saturday Night Live host Quinta Brunson had some unexpected guests during her monologue on Saturday, May 3, when both Sabrina Carpenter and Dwyane Wade made cameo appearances. The Abbott Elementary creator and star, 35, kicked off her second SNL hosting stint by telling viewers that she was proof that “you can do anything you set […]
Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live underwent a huge cast overhaul following its landmark 50th season, with cast members Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim all leaving the show ahead of season 51. New featured players for the October 4 premiere included Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, Veronika Slowikowska and Please Don’t Destroy member Ben Marshall.
SNL producer Lorne Michaels told Puck News in August that it was a necessity to change up the cast since he couldn’t really make any wholesale changes in season 50.
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“Last season, when we were at the party of the first show, quarter of four in the morning, Dana [Carvey, who played Joe Biden], comes over to me and says, ‘I don’t think anyone knows you called me June 4th [to play Biden],’” Michaels, 80, said. “I wanted people coming back and being part of [the 50th season].”
The producer continued, “So when Kate [McKinnon] hosted, Kristen [Wiig] and Maya [Rudolph] came back for it. That meant there couldn’t be those kind of disruptions, or anything that was going to take the focus off [the 50th season]. And we had an election.”
Saturday Night Live’s next new episode airs November 1 on NBC at 11:30p.m ET with host Miles Teller and musical guest Brandi Carlile. SNL has announced that comedian Nikki Glaser and Sombr will appear November 8, while Glen Powell and Olivia Dean are booked for the November 15 episode.
Louis Tomlinson is reflecting on the first anniversary of his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne’s death.
“[Liam’s death] is something I’ll never really accept. I don’t think,” Tomlinson, 33, admitted in an interview with The Independent published on Saturday, October 18.
The “Just Hold On” singer has faced tragedy throughout his life, as his mother, Johannah Deakin, succumbed to leukemia at age 43 in 2016 and his sister Felicite died at age 18 in 2019. Then, in October 2024, Payne died from injuries sustained when he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“I naively thought that, at this point, I’d unfortunately be a little bit more well versed with grief than other people my age,” Tomlinson admitted. “I thought that might mean something, but it didn’t at all.”
Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson were connected for life through their stint in One Direction, which became one of the most successful boy bands of all time. But their friendship wasn’t always smooth-sailing, with the late “Teardrops” singer admitting he and Tomlinson, 32, “hated” each other at the beginning of their boy band journey. Later, […]
He acknowledged that Payne was “definitely” the de facto leader of the band when they were formed on The X Factor in the U.K. in 2010. (One Direction consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Payne and Tomlinson.) According to Tomlinson, a leadership role was thrust on Payne since he had much more performing experience than the other members of the band.
“It was definitely a role that was assigned to him,” Tomlinson said. “That is the truth. … He’d already played at half time [major soccer games], we’d done s****y school shows.”
Tomlinson reflected on sharing “so many” great times with his bandmate prior to his untimely death, going on to point out that Payne was always the first to support other One Direction members’ side or solo projects.
Payne’s November 2024 funeral in Amersham, England, was the first time all of the surviving members of One Direction reunited since Malik, 32, left the band in March 2015. Tomlinson confirmed that their friend’s death “definitely” brought him closer to the other 1D members, though he admitted they’ve had trouble scheduling any further meet-ups.
“The best kind of friends are the ones where, when you eventually do meet up, it’s like no time has passed,” he said. “It’s also just amazing to see everyone doing so well in their own right.”
Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson in February 2016.Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
Tomlinson will be spending more time with Malik soon, since they have signed up to star in a three-part Netflix documentary that sees them travel the U.S. as they reflect on fatherhood and Payne’s death. (Tomlinson shares a son, Freddie Reign, with former partner Briana Jungwirth while Payne and ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid share daughter Khai.)
Unfortunately, Tomlinson recently revealed on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast that Payne’s death put a stop to any serious discussions of a One Direction reunion tour for the time being.
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“Never say never, right, but I’m just not sure it would be right to [Liam],” he explained. “Say for the sake of argument, 25 year’s time, it’s like a f***ing Oasis thing, [and] they offer us an arm and a leg, and they’re like, ‘Come back and do this many shows.’ I don’t know.”
From the moment One Direction was formed, Liam Payne found himself with four additional brothers for life. Thanks to the creative minds of The X Factor UK judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Payne came together in 2010 to create a life-changing boy band. […]
He added, “[Liam’s death] just completely put a pin in all of that. The irony is there was no one campaigning for One Direction to get back more than Liam. I would say I came in a close second.”
Us Weekly exclusively reported that a group of One Direction fans held a vigil for Payne in Buenos Aires on the first anniversary of his death on October 16. Fans placed flowers, signs and candles at a makeshift shrine at the hotel where Payne died and shared their favorite memories of the group.
Doldinger died on Oct. 16, his family confirmed to German press agency dpa.
Born May 12, 1936, in Berlin, Doldinger studied piano and clarinet but was drawn to the jazz music brought to Germany by American GIs after the war. Having lived through the Nazi dictatorship, Doldinger later wrote in his 2022 autobiography, “Made in Germany. Mein Leben für die Musik,” he decided to make music “that you couldn’t march in step or click your heels together [to].” The fascination with those free rhythms never left Doldinger. In 1971, he formed Passport, a long-running jazz-fusion outfit that toured internationally and released dozens of albums over five decades.
Doldinger’s breakthrough in film came with his sparse, electronic-tinged soundtrack to Petersen’s Petersen’s submarine drama Das Boot (1981). Against the backdrop of a minimal orchestral ensemble, just strings, brass and percussion, Doldinger used early synthesizers to create a sonic soundscape evoking sonar pulses, engine drones and the metallic ambience inside the World War 2 U-boat. The title theme’s steadily ascending line, mirroring the claustrophobic tension within the sub, became a signature motif. An early 90s techno remix of the theme, by the German band U96 (named after the submarine’s military designation) spent 13 weeks at number one of the German single charts and topped charts across much of Europe.
Doldinger returned to big-screen fantasy with The NeverEnding Story (1984), Petersen’s adaptation of Michael Ende’s classic children’s book. Doldinger’s original score was a classical European affair, with sweeping strings and brass-heavy cues (with only the occasional synth coloring) inspired by the film’s fairy-tale origins. For The NeverEnding Story‘s international release, producers brought in Flashdance composer Giorgio Moroder to give Doldinger’s score a sleeker pop-synth gloss, adding drum machines and arpeggiated synthesizers, as well as a new title song, performed by English pop singer Limahl, which was a top 10 hit on the single charts in the U.S. and U.K.
Inside Germany, Doldinger was also known for his themes and TV scores composed for television, most famously his brief, instantly recognizable jazz-fusion intro for Tatort, a weekly crime show that has remained Germany’s most-watched scripted series for decades.
Doldinger balanced screen work with Passport, recording and touring while maintaining a steady output for film and TV from his base in Bavaria.
He is survived by his wife Inge and their three children.
Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band Kiss, who captivated audiences with his elaborate galactic makeup and smoking guitar, died Thursday. He was 74.
Frehley died peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, following a recent fall, according to his agent.
Family members said in a statement that they are “completely devastated and heartbroken” but will cherish his laughter and celebrate the kindness he bestowed upon others.
Kiss, whose hits included “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” was known for its theatrical stage shows, with fire and fake blood spewing from the mouths of band members dressed in body armor, platform boots, wigs and signature black-and-white face paint.
Kiss’ original lineup included Frehley, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, tongue-wagging bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss. Frehley’s is the first death among the four founding members.
Band members took on the personas of comic book-style characters — Frehley was known as “Space Ace” and “The Spaceman.” The New York-born entertainer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer often experimented with pyrotechnics, making his guitars glow, emit smoke and shoot rockets from the headstock.
“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” Simmons and Stanley said in a joint statement. “He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy.”
Born Paul Daniel Frehley, he grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at age 13. Before joining Kiss, he played in local bands around New York City and was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix at age 18.
Kiss was especially popular in the mid-1970s, selling tens of millions of albums and licensing its iconic look to become a marketing marvel. “Beth” was its biggest commercial hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1976.
As the Kennedy Center’s new chairman, President Donald Trump named Kiss as one of this year’s honorees.
In 2024, the band sold their catalog, brand name and intellectual property to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment Group in a deal estimated to be over $300 million.
Frehley frequently feuded with Stanley and Simmons through the years. He left the band in 1982, missing the years when they took off the makeup and had mixed success. Stanley later said they nearly replaced Frehley with Eddie Van Halen, but Vinnie Vincent assumed the lead guitar role.
Frehley performed both as a solo artist and with his band, Frehley’s Comet.
But he rejoined Kiss in the mid-1990s for a triumphant reunion and restoration of their original style that came after bands including Nirvana, Weezer and the Melvins had expressed affection for the band and paid them musical tributes.
He would leave again in 2002. When the original four entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, a dispute scrapped plans for them to perform. Simmons and Stanley objected to Criss and Frehley being inducted instead of then-guitarist Tommy Thayer and then-drummer Eric Singer.
Simmons told Rolling Stone magazine that year that Frehley and Criss “no longer deserve to wear the paint.” “The makeup is earned,” he added. “Just being there at the beginning is not enough.”
Frehley and Kiss also had a huge influence on the glammy style of 1980s so-called hair metal bands including Mötley Crüe and Poison.
“Ace, my brother, I surely cannot thank you enough for the years of great music, the many festivals we’ve done together and your lead guitar on Nothing But A Good Time,” Poison front man Bret Michaels said on Instagram.
Harder-edged bands like Metallica and Pantera were also fans, and even country superstar Garth Brooks joined the band members for a recording of their “Hard Luck Woman” on a 1994 compilation.
Frehley would appear occasionally with Kiss for shows in later years. A 2023 concert at Madison Square Garden was billed as the band’s last. While Stanley and Simmons said they would not tour again, they’ve been open to the possibility of more concerts, and they’ve stayed active promoting the group’s music and memorabilia.
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Hannah Schoenbaum, Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
Nurse Rod Salaysay works with all kinds of instruments in the hospital: a thermometer, a stethoscope and sometimes his guitar and ukulele.
In the recovery unit of UC San Diego Health, Salaysay helps patients manage pain after surgery. Along with medications, he offers tunes on request and sometimes sings. His repertoire ranges from folk songs in English and Spanish to Minuet in G Major and movie favorites like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Patients often smile or nod along. Salaysay even sees changes in their vital signs like lower heart rate and blood pressure, and some may request fewer painkillers.
“There’s often a cycle of worry, pain, anxiety in a hospital,” he said, “but you can help break that cycle with music.”
Salaysay is a one-man band, but he’s not alone. Over the past two decades, live performances and recorded music have flowed into hospitals and doctors’ offices as research grows on how songs can help ease pain.
The healing power of song may sound intuitive given music’s deep roots in human culture. But the science of whether and how music dulls acute and chronic pain — technically called music-induced analgesia — is just catching up.
No one suggests that a catchy song can fully eliminate serious pain. But several recent studies, including in the journals Pain and Scientific Reports, have suggested that listening to music can either reduce the perception of pain or enhance a person’s ability to tolerate it.
What seems to matter most is that patients — or their families — choose the music selections themselves and listen intently, not just as background noise.
“Pain is a really complex experience,” said Adam Hanley, a psychologist at Florida State University. “It’s created by a physical sensation, and by our thoughts about that sensation and emotional reaction to it.”
Two people with the same condition or injury may feel vastly different levels of acute or chronic pain. Or the same person might experience pain differently from one day to the next.
Acute pain is felt when pain receptors in a specific part of the body — like a hand touching a hot stove — send signals to the brain, which processes the short-term pain. Chronic pain usually involves long-term structural or other changes to the brain, which heighten overall sensitivity to pain signals. Researchers are still investigating how this occurs.
“Pain is interpreted and translated by the brain,” which may ratchet the signal up or down, said Dr. Gilbert Chandler, a specialist in chronic spinal pain at the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic.
Researchers know music can draw attention away from pain, lessening the sensation. But studies also suggest that listening to preferred music helps dull pain more than listening to podcasts.
“Music is a distractor. It draws your focus away from the pain. But it’s doing more than that,” said Caroline Palmer, a psychologist at McGill University who studies music and pain.
Scientists are still tracing the various neural pathways at work, said Palmer.
“We know that almost all of the brain becomes active when we engage in music,” said Kate Richards Geller, a registered music therapist in Los Angeles. “That changes the perception and experience of pain — and the isolation and anxiety of pain.”
The idea of using recorded music to lessen pain associated with dental surgery began in the late 19th century before local anesthetics were available. Today researchers are studying what conditions make music most effective.
Researchers at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands conducted a study on 548 participants to see how listening to five genres of music — classical, rock, pop, urban and electronic — extended their ability to withstand acute pain, as measured by exposure to very cold temperatures.
All music helped, but there was no single winning genre.
“The more people listened to a favorite genre, the more they could endure pain,” said co-author Dr. Emy van der Valk Bouman. “A lot of people thought that classical music would help them more. Actually, we are finding more evidence that what’s best is just the music you like.”
The exact reasons are still unclear, but it may be because familiar songs activate more memories and emotions, she said.
The simple act of choosing is itself powerful, said Claire Howlin, director of the Music and Health Psychology Lab at Trinity College Dublin, who co-authored a study that suggested allowing patients to select songs improved their pain tolerance.
“It’s one thing that people can have control over if they have a chronic condition — it gives them agency,” she said.
Active, focused listening also seems to matter.
Hanley, the Florida State psychologist, co-authored a preliminary study suggesting daily attentive listening might reduce chronic pain.
“Music has a way of lighting up different parts of the brain,” he said, “so you’re giving people this positive emotional bump that takes their mind away from the pain.”
It’s a simple prescription with no side effects, some doctors now say.
Cecily Gardner, a jazz singer in Culver City, California, said she used music to help get through a serious illness and has sung to friends battling pain.
“Music reduces stress, fosters community,” she said, “and just transports you to a better place.”
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Nurse Rod Salaysay works with all kinds of instruments in the hospital: a thermometer, a stethoscope and sometimes his guitar and ukulele.
In the recovery unit of UC San Diego Health, Salaysay helps patients manage pain after surgery. Along with medications, he offers tunes on request and sometimes sings. His repertoire ranges from folk songs in English and Spanish to Minuet in G Major and movie favorites like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Patients often smile or nod along. Salaysay even sees changes in their vital signs like lower heart rate and blood pressure, and some may request fewer painkillers.
“There’s often a cycle of worry, pain, anxiety in a hospital,” he said, “but you can help break that cycle with music.”
Salaysay is a one-man band, but he’s not alone. Over the past two decades, live performances and recorded music have flowed into hospitals and doctors’ offices as research grows on how songs can help ease pain.
Scientists explore how music affects pain perception
The healing power of song may sound intuitive given music’s deep roots in human culture. But the science of whether and how music dulls acute and chronic pain — technically called music-induced analgesia — is just catching up.
No one suggests that a catchy song can fully eliminate serious pain. But several recent studies, including in the journals Pain and Scientific Reports, have suggested that listening to music can either reduce the perception of pain or enhance a person’s ability to tolerate it.
What seems to matter most is that patients — or their families — choose the music selections themselves and listen intently, not just as background noise.
How music can affect pain levels
“Pain is a really complex experience,” said Adam Hanley, a psychologist at Florida State University. “It’s created by a physical sensation, and by our thoughts about that sensation and emotional reaction to it.”
Two people with the same condition or injury may feel vastly different levels of acute or chronic pain. Or the same person might experience pain differently from one day to the next.
Acute pain is felt when pain receptors in a specific part of the body — like a hand touching a hot stove — send signals to the brain, which processes the short-term pain. Chronic pain usually involves long-term structural or other changes to the brain, which heighten overall sensitivity to pain signals. Researchers are still investigating how this occurs.
“Pain is interpreted and translated by the brain,” which may ratchet the signal up or down, said Dr. Gilbert Chandler, a specialist in chronic spinal pain at the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic.
Researchers know music can draw attention away from pain, lessening the sensation. But studies also suggest that listening to preferred music helps dull pain more than listening to podcasts.
“Music is a distractor. It draws your focus away from the pain. But it’s doing more than that,” said Caroline Palmer, a psychologist at McGill University who studies music and pain.
Scientists are still tracing the various neural pathways at work, said Palmer.
“We know that almost all of the brain becomes active when we engage in music,” said Kate Richards Geller, a registered music therapist in Los Angeles. “That changes the perception and experience of pain — and the isolation and anxiety of pain.”
Music genres and active listening
The idea of using recorded music to lessen pain associated with dental surgery began in the late 19th century before local anesthetics were available. Today researchers are studying what conditions make music most effective.
Researchers at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands conducted a study on 548 participants to see how listening to five genres of music — classical, rock, pop, urban and electronic — extended their ability to withstand acute pain, as measured by exposure to very cold temperatures.
All music helped, but there was no single winning genre.
“The more people listened to a favorite genre, the more they could endure pain,” said co-author Dr. Emy van der Valk Bouman. “A lot of people thought that classical music would help them more. Actually, we are finding more evidence that what’s best is just the music you like.”
The exact reasons are still unclear, but it may be because familiar songs activate more memories and emotions, she said.
The simple act of choosing is itself powerful, said Claire Howlin, director of the Music and Health Psychology Lab at Trinity College Dublin, who co-authored a study that suggested allowing patients to select songs improved their pain tolerance.
“It’s one thing that people can have control over if they have a chronic condition — it gives them agency,” she said.
Active, focused listening also seems to matter.
Hanley, the Florida State psychologist, co-authored a preliminary study suggesting daily attentive listening might reduce chronic pain.
“Music has a way of lighting up different parts of the brain,” he said, “so you’re giving people this positive emotional bump that takes their mind away from the pain.”
It’s a simple prescription with no side effects, some doctors now say.
Cecily Gardner, a jazz singer in Culver City, California, said she used music to help get through a serious illness and has sung to friends battling pain.
“Music reduces stress, fosters community,” she said, “and just transports you to a better place.”
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Booking talent can be very tricky—but thankfully, the team in charge of Turning Point USA’s “All American Halftime Show” can rest easy. None other than Lara Trump—wife of Donald Trump’s middle son Eric, Fox News host, and aspiring country singer, apparently—has offered to perform at the event protesting Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LIX headlining performance. Bad Bunny must be sweating.
During an episode of her podcast The Right View with Lara Trump, the presidential daughter-in-law gave a few suggestions for potential headliners for the “All American Halftime Show” including country star Chris Stapleton (who wouldn’t reveal which candidate had his vote in 2024, saying only “I’m voting for America!”) and MAGA rapper Tom MacDonald. Then Lara-who married Eric in 2014 and shares two children with him—decided to toss her own name in the ring. “You know what? You can throw Lara Trump in there. Yeah! That’s right,” she said with a laugh.
She may be joking, but a quick run through her discography proves that Lara Trump would indeed be the perfect choice for the “All American Halftime Show.” For starters, her family is already aligned with the brand founded by the late Charlie Kirk: Donald Trump spoke at the Turning Point USA founder’s memorial service and recently posthumously awarded Kirk the presidential medal of freedom. Performing at Turning Point USA’s Super Bowl counterprogramming would probably give Trump some brownie points with her father-in-law.
Lara Trump also fancies herself something of a performer. She’s released a number of singles—no albums just yet—all available to stream on Spotify. Maybe she could begin her set with a crowd pleaser: her 2023 cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” And, hey, if she wants to go unplugged, she can perform her acoustic version, also available on Spotify.
Trump’s original tunes tend to lean patriotic—perfect for an event celebrating faith, football, and American-but-not-Puerto-Rican family values. There’s “Anything is Possible,” a rousing anthem meant to inspire. “Don’t think, just jump // You can’t give up,” she sings. Lara could also try “Colors Don’t Run,” her 2024 single with the Moonshine Bandits, which is about—you guessed it—the American flag. In the middle of “Colors Don’t Run,” there’s a spoken-word section in which the Moonshine Bandits attempt to rhyme ”Bible by my pistol // Pistol by my whiskey” with “Politicking just to trick me // If you want it come and get it.” Bibles, pistols, and whiskey? What could be more MAGA that that?
