Author: Rap Hooks

Traveling to and from Crypto.com Arena is about to look a lot different for Los Angeles residents. On Monday (Aug. 24), AEG announced a partnership with Archer Aviation to develop a vertiport (a vertical takeoff and landing site for electric air taxis) for AEG’s sports and entertainment district, L.A. Live. As the first vertiport in Downtown Los Angeles, the site at L.A. Live would expand Archer’s planned air taxi network before the 2028 L.A. Olympics and Paralympics.

With Peacock Theater, The Novo, Regal L.A. LIVE cinemas, the GRAMMY Museum, The Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena in the vicinity, L.A. Live welcomes millions of visitors a year and this new partnership will make Archer the exclusive air taxi partner of the entertainment campus. The vertiport will add to Archer’s planned network which includes takeoff and landing locations at Los Angeles International Airport, University of Southern California, Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach and Van Nuys. Archer is also coordinating with the Los Angeles Rams and Hollywood Park, the 300-acre district centered around SoFi Stadium, for a potential exclusive vertiport in the area.

AEG Global Partnerships president and COO Nick Baker tells Billboard the Archer collaboration is in the first phase of development, with logistics of the specific location and permits for the vertiport expected to be decided on soon. The two entities have completed the initial feasibility study for the L.A. Live site, including land-use and airspace reviews, power availability and community impact.

“We quickly were amazed by the breadth and scope of [Archer’s] current infrastructure and their plans for Los Angeles in particular,” says Baker. “The combination of our real estate footprint and the incredible content that we put through this real estate was a perfect match for what they’re trying to do in the near future.”

Archer’s goal is to begin its L.A. network operations this year with plenty of time to have it fully functioning for the 2028 Olympics. The aviation company plans to operate a fleet of their Midnight aircrafts, which hold one pilot and four passengers, throughout Southern California. The Midnight aircraft is designed to share the same airspace as helicopters and small planes, but Archer states that the air taxis are quieter at cruising altitudes and their aircrafts will be all-electric.

With speeds up to 150 mph, the Midnight aircrafts are expected to get across the county in 10 to 20 minutes versus usual L.A. traffic times. For the air taxis, Archer is targeting pricing that’s similar to what consumers would pay for a premium rideshare today such as an Uber Black and, as the company scales the fleet and grows the network, Archer expects costs to come down “significantly.”

“To ease that burden of how you’re traveling to and from opens up the opportunity for us to serve more fans who maybe are in a location that is far to travel via vehicle to L.A. Live for an event that they want to attend,” Baker says. “[Los Angeles] is the most competitive sports and entertainment market in the world, and there’s probably a close second in New York City; but the difference there is the density, and we compete more with the weather. Because there are days when it’s 85 degrees and perfect on the beach, and it’s hard pressed to go an hour and a half in the car to an event. But if you could go to that event in 15 minutes, would you go?”

AEG and Archer plan to have the air taxis running as a well-oiled machine by the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics by making the service available to every kind of event happening at L.A. Live from basketball and hockey games to concerts and special events like the Grammy and BET Awards.

The next phase for the network is reviewing operational approach and guest experience, which is currently underway. The site is planned to be built with BETA’s electric aviation chargers with the hope of building the standardized charging foundation required to scale air taxi operations in and around major metropolitan areas.

With a portfolio of more than 100 venues around the globe, Baker says the Archer partnership could be introduced at more AEG facilities in the future. “Anytime we find a company who is an expert in an innovative category and can deliver upon that in our initial partnership, which in this case would be L.A. Live, we then think about how we could deploy that across our global portfolio and footprint of entertainment real estate districts that we own and control throughout the world,” says Baker. “So, there is absolutely great opportunity for future growth of this partnership.”

Bret Michaels has been forced to cancel all his remaining 2026 solo band shows due to an extended recovery from two recent surgeries. In an Instagram post on Saturday (Aug. 22), Michaels, 63, posted a note explaining that after the singer tried to get on stage on Friday (Aug. 21) at a show in Sugar Hill, Ga. following the two procedures, after speaking to his physicians, he made the hard choice to cancel the rest of this year’s gigs.

“Following Bret Michaels’ comeback show at @thebowlatsugarhill, doctors and paramedics determined immediately after the show that he still needs additional rest and recovery from his recent surgeries. Bret will be taking the next several months off to heal and get back to 100%,” read the message.

Quoting his doctors, Dr. Abby Borhan and Dr. Patel, it read: “We will be pulling Bret off the road for the time being. He wanted to attempt this show, but we feel there is a much-needed period of rest and slow recovery ahead, especially considering the heat and humidity during the summer months and the effect it can have on his blood sugar levels.”

Michaels, who has Type 1 diabetes, recently had surgery to remove a kidney stone and to implant a ureteral stent and from the sound of the message from his doctors, the singer needs more time to heal from those procedures.

In his own note in the same post, Michaels thanked fans for their well-wishes and promised that he would be out there doing his thing again as soon as he is physically able. “There are not enough words to tell you how much your incredible messages mean to me,” he wrote. “In my nonstop spirit to go out & do what I love – which is to play music and to see all of you, all my family, friends and fans & meet everybody…it’s what I truly love – I may have just chosen to go sooner than I should have. We will come back better than ever. And I say this with much love and respect to everybody!”

Last month, the solo star and Poison singer told fans that he’d had surgery to remove a kidney stone, which required pausing his Live & Amplified world tour after experiencing kidney pain during several shows. The situation came to a head after a private show in Spokane, Wash. on July 18, which he finished, before being rushed to a hospital after trying, and failing, to pass the stone. It was at that point that Dr. Borhan said that Michaels was diagnosed with a “complicated obstructing kidney stone” that required immediate surgery and the placement of a ureteral stent.

At the time, Michaels’ medical team said he was restricted from performing for three or four weeks to properly heal. Before calling them off, Michaels had a run of North American shows scheduled from July 30 through Aug. 29 and his official website listed shows through a Nov. 14 gig in Harris, Mich.; he was slated to headline the Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tenn. on Saturday (Aug. 22).

In addition to managing his Type 1 diabetes since childhood, Michaels has suffered a number of serious health issues over the years, including a life-threatening brain hemorrhage in 2010 and a related warning stroke before that, as well as surgery to repair a hole in his heart in 2011 and kidney surgery in 2014.

Foo Fighters paused their Take Cover Tour for a one-off performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday (Aug. 22), joining conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles for a 15-song set honoring Dudamel’s final season with the Phil.

It marked the band’s first time playing the venue in its more than three decades together. Backed by full orchestra and choir, the band moved through a set blending hits with several deep cuts rarely aired live.

The night opened with “Times Like These” before running through “All My Life,” “The Pretender,” “Walk,” “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly,” “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” and “Run.” The rarities came in a cluster: “I Should Have Known,” from 2011’s Wasting Light, got its first performance since 2012; “Razor,” from 2005’s In Your Honor, returned for the first time since 2006; and “Home,” from 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, got its first live outing since 2007.

The band also revived “A320,” a deep cut from the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack that originally featured string arrangements, making it a natural fit for the orchestral setting. Frontman Dave Grohl dedicated “Aurora” to late drummer Taylor Hawkins before the band closed the night with “Best of You,” “Home” and, finally, “Everlong.”

The concert was part of “Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl,” a four-night tribute marking Dudamel’s 17th and final season as the LA Philharmonic’s music and artistic director. Dudamel will take over as music director of the New York Philharmonic beginning with its 2026-27 season.

Frontman Dave Grohl had previously performed with Dudamel and the orchestra at Coachella 2025, joining for orchestral versions of “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” and “Everlong.”

The Hollywood Bowl date came in the middle of a busy stretch for Foo Fighters, who played Rock in Rio in Brazil and filled in for the Pretty Reckless on a one-off support slot for AC/DC in St. Louis before the Dudamel show. The band’s own Take Cover Tour, a stadium run marking Foo Fighters’ fourth decade together, resumes in mid-September with dates across North America.

Alex Warren canceled his Monday (Aug. 24) concert at Auckland’s Spark Arena just hours before showtime, citing sudden illness during his Finding Family on the Road World Tour stop in New Zealand.

“I never have to do this and it breaks my heart to even write this but I have to cancel tonight’s show,” Warren wrote on Instagram.

“I have tried everything to be able to make this show work and I’m sadly bedridden sick at the moment. I can barely talk let alone sing and it sadly isn’t possible to play tonight’s show.” He added: “I understand what it takes to be able to attend concerts and the fact so many of you travelled for this one has made this decision even more difficult. I love you so much and hope you understand.”

Promoter Frontier Touring confirmed the cancellation in a separate statement, saying Warren was unwell and unable to perform “following medical advice.”

“Alex is devastated to miss the show and has been looking forward to performing for his Auckland fans,” the statement read. “He sincerely thanks fans for their understanding and support.” Ticketholders will receive automatic refunds.

The Auckland date was the sole North Island stop on Warren’s New Zealand run, following two shows earlier in the week at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena. It’s not the first time illness has forced Warren off the road: he scrapped Philadelphia and Montreal tour stops in 2025 after performing through bronchitis and laryngitis worsened his condition. Warren is next scheduled to perform Friday (Aug. 28) at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, continuing an Australian leg that runs through Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

The cancellation lands just before a major release for Warren. His sophomore album, Wildchild, arrives Friday via Atlantic Records — the same day as his Sydney show — following 2025’s breakout debut You’ll Be Alright, Kid. That album, anchored by the 10-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Ordinary,” earned Warren the MTV VMA for best new artist and Billboard’s best new artist of 2025.

Wildchild has been previewed by singles “Fever Dream,” “Fine Place to Die,” “Passenger” and “Rescuer,” and Warren has described the 13-track project as documenting a healing process following his father’s death, in contrast to the grief-driven tone of his debut.

Dolly Parton says she and her team are in early talks with companies that produce “avatar performances,” as she continues working through health issues that have sidelined several appearances this year.

“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” Parton, 80, told People in an interview published Friday (Aug. 21), referring to her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025 at 82 after nearly 60 years of marriage.

She said the avatar performances, which she did not describe in detail, are still in the “early stages of development.”

Parton framed the current stretch as difficult but not unprecedented. “It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she said, recalling being “down for several months with female issues” in the early 1980s.

She added that public scrutiny feels more intense now than it once did: “I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”

The interview followed a string of missed appearances. Parton postponed a planned Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, first pushing the December 2025 dates to September 2026 before canceling the run entirely in May.

She also appeared only virtually for several 2026 engagements, including the Academy of Country Music’s Poet’s Award at the ACM Honors and, most recently, the dedication of Dollywood’s new NightFlight Expedition ride on Aug. 14.

Parton has not toured traditionally since 2016. In March, at her first in-person public appearance of 2026, she told a Dollywood crowd she had been “worn down and worn out” from grief and needed to rebuild herself “spiritually, emotionally and physically,” while maintaining that her health issues hadn’t slowed her down.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard brought out Max Weinberg as a surprise guest during their Friday (Aug. 21) show at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium, with the E Street Band drummer filling in for his son, longtime band collaborator Jay Weinberg.

Guitarist Joey Walker explained the swap to the crowd mid-set. “In continuing with the tradition that we started over the last year or so, where we get our friend Jay Weinberg to come out and play a song with us — it’d be rude not to. But Jay’s busy, he’s down in Nashville, so Jay made a call: ‘Alright, I’m going to call dad.’”

Max Weinberg then joined the band onstage as a second drummer, playing alongside regular drummer Michael Cavanagh on an extended rendition of “Hot Water.”

The elder Weinberg’s cameo continues a running bit between the Australian psych-rock band and Jay Weinberg, the former Slipknot drummer who has guested with King Gizzard periodically since first sitting in during a 2024 Nashville show.

He appeared again just a week earlier at the band’s Field of Vision II festival in Colorado, playing on “Hell” and hosting a solo drum clinic.

The guest spot came during the second of three King Gizzard shows at Forest Hills Stadium, part of a run marking the band’s fourth consecutive year at the venue and its first time playing three nights there. The Aug. 20 and 21 dates were billed as rock shows, while the run closed Saturday (Aug. 22) with an all-electronic rave set.

The band then heads to Brooklyn’s Under the K Bridge Park on Sunday (Aug. 23) for another rave show, before continuing to a run of Australian dates in October, including a stop at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

King Gizzard’s Forest Hills stand comes amid a characteristically prolific stretch for the band, which released its latest album, Alien Metal, its 28th studio release, earlier this year.