Adele
Late last week, rumor had it that Adele was a candidate to play next year’s Super Bowl halftime show. During a concert in Los Angeles on Saturday night, the singer said she was offered the slot but turned it down. “First of all, I’m not doing the Super Bowl. I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don’t really — I can’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no,” Adele said onstage, according to reports. However, the NFL and Super Bowl sponsor Pepsi released a statement on Sunday saying that the singer was never offered the slot in the first place. “The NFL and Pepsi are big fans of Adele. We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else. We are focused on putting together a fantastic show for Houston and we look forward to revealing that in good time.” Super Bowl LI will take place on February 5, 2017.Prophets of Rage, the supergroup made up of members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill, have announced their first official release. A 5 song EP, titled The Party’s Over, will arrive next Friday, August 25. The EP features their previously released single “Prophets of Rage,” a reworking of the Public Enemy track, along with a new song titled “The Party’s Over” and three live tunes. Prophets of Rage are currently on tour up to October 16 in Chula Vista, CA.
Pop singer-songwriter Skylar Grey will release her sophomore album, titled Natural Causes, on September 23 via KIDinaKORNER/Interscope. Billboard reports Grey will also hit the road on a short fall tour starting in San Francisco on September 23.
The music of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will be celebrated at Petty Fest Oaktopia, on Thursday, September 22, in Denton, TX. Norah Jones, Jakob Dylan, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Butch Walker and many others will honor the musical legacy of Petty. Ticket proceeds will benefit The Texas Music Project and the Greater Denton Arts Council.
James Mercer says a new album from The Shins is on the way at the beginning of 2017. In a recent interview with KBOO/Portland, OR, Mercer said that “The record is done, basically, and mixed. We’ve been making little tweaks just because we have extra time.” He added that his label had opted to push it to the beginning of the new year to better time it with setting up a Coachella performance and presumably other festival slots.
