The past week has been crammed with all things live music related, with new tours beginning and performances being cancelled, to news about wedding celebrations and relationships ending, so get ready for a drama-filled pop culture recap.
A week of controversy for Ariana Grande
On Saturday, Ariana Grande kicked off her highly anticipated Eternal Sunshine World Tour in Oakland, USA, after a seven year gap since her previous Sweetener World Tour shows. The tour has been received differently across the internet, with many raising concerns about the setlist, Grande's actual performance, and her as a role model to younger girls.
What has sparked these concerns, especially, is the internet's attitude to Grande's physical appearance, where fans have noticed a considerable decline since her participation in the Wicked franchise, beginning in 2023. The photos which have been surfacing on the internet have garnered attention from Arianators due to concern about the fragility of her body, where videos display her struggles to maintain high energy throughout the show, and how the choreography is designed to allow for her to rest more easily.
The majority of the concerns about Grande's appearance that I've seen on TikTok have arose from fellow Arianators raising genuine concern from a fan's perspective, yet Grande is continuously being criticised for embarking on this 'mini stadium tour' in her current state due to the exposure to younger girls who constitute a large proportion of her fanbase. Where this perspective is absolutely valid, Grande has emphasised in the past to not "comment on my body, do not reply" (as by the lyrics of her number one single 'yes, and?'), so she is yet to address any of these concerns, but it is harrowing that the most major takeaway from what should been a celebration of Grande's return to live music is the comments on her body.
On top of this, BBC News earlier this week confirmed Grande's split from long-term boyfriend of almost three years, Ethan Slater. The two met on the set of Wicked back in 2023, and revealed they were dating in 2024. This news has also fuelled Grande's criticism this week, where she had previously been named a "homewrecker" by the internet, following Slater splitting from his ex-wife, Lilly Jay, to pursue their relationship. Therefore, the combination of this news and Grande's tour concerns has meant this has been a week abundant with controversy, despite what should have been one of celebration, especially as she achieved number one last week on both the UK charts and Billboard Hot 100 with 'hate that i made you love me'.
Images courtesy of @arianagrande on Instagram
Primavera Sound suffers from bad weather
The annual Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona faced numerous cancellations last minute following severe weather warnings which threatened the safety of the performances. Acts affected include:
- Massive Attack
- Doja Cat
- Bad Gyal
- Alex G
- Mac DeMarco
The festival organisers have apologised to fans, with refunds being issued for tickets from last Thursday, but are still being criticised for the lack of communication, despite being warned that bad weather was incoming, as well as refunds being only applicable for those with solely Thursday only tickets, so owners of weekend passes were not entitled to any compensation. The festival is extremely popular for tourists due to its guaranteed worthy line-up, similar to the UK's Glastonbury Festival, yet the management of Primavera's reaction to the cancellations has left fans with a distaste to the festival's organisation.
For now, there have been no updates since the initial compensation announcement, so we can only assume that the organisers are finished with their addressing of this issue, much to the dismay of fans.
Images courtesy of @primavera_sound on Instagram
Madonna has something to Confess
With less than a month to go until she releases her highly anticipated follow-up to her 2005 hit album Confessions on a Dance Floor with Confessions II, Madonna has had a busy week promoting the new era.
Starting from last Thursday, Madonna announced a secret 15-minute pop up set in Times Square, New York, performing a medley of both Confessions and Confessions II tracks, some for the first time in nearly twenty years. Additionally, Madonna debuted her latest single 'Love Sensation', an electric dance hit destined for the charts, and definitely her best single released so far for her 15th studio album. The setlist in full included:
- I Feel So Free (Confessions II)
- Bring Your Love (Confessions II)
- Love Sensation (Confessions II)
- Get Together (Confessions) (First time since 2006)
- I Love New York (Confessions) (First time since 2006)
- Hung Up (Confessions)
Madonna has also been alluding to a second part of the Confessions Tour, initially beginning in 2006 as support for the release of Confessions on a Dance Floor, where it was the highest grossing tour world-wide of that year. A couple weeks ago, Madonna celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the tour in a now-deleted Instagram post, naming the tour as 'part one', so hopefully an announcement is imminent to coincide with the release of her new album on July 3rd.
Additionally, Madonna released the Confessions II movie this week, featuring a star-studded cast, ranging from fellow singers, to football players and actors, as a visual accompaniment centred around the album's first six songs. Fans are applauding Madonna as continuously raising the bar and as asserting herself as disco-pop royalty, where this era continues to deliver great visuals and music, over twenty years after the original album was released.
To round it up, Madonna will also be appearing on BBC One today at 22:40 in an interview with Graham Norton for an "in-depth discussion about her incredible life and career", so we can only anticipate more content surrounding the release of her new album, out very soon!
Video courtesy of @Madonna on Youtube
Dua Lipa's three-day Sicilian celebration controversy
Over the weekend, Dua Lipa and Callum Turner celebrated their wedding with a three-day gathering in Sicily's capital Palermo, staying at the Villa Valguarnera with hundreds of guests. The villa is a luscious retreat, charging just over £5000 a night, with estimates predicting that the couple's getaway generated around £230 million for the local economy.
The wedding is said to have included golden bracelets for each attendee, embedded with a microchip which enabled access to other venues, such as a private tour of the city's Galleria d'Arte Moderna. As you can imagine, the extravagance of the celebrations may seem absolutely unfathomably incredible, but it didn't commence without backlash from locals.
Ahead of the celebrations, protesters displayed signs reading "Palermo is not for the rich", insisting that the gathering would tarnish the reputation of Palermo, and inhibit locals. However, with the predicted economic boost, accompanied by the attention Sicily has received in the last week, it is safe to say that the country has only benefitted from this exposure.
The Mayor of Palermo, Roberto Lagalla, commented on the ceremony, expressing his apologies for the inconvenience, but also how residents "must not forget the image boost Palermo receives from occasions like this." It has also been reported that Lipa and Turner are set to donate a gargantuan gift to the residents of Palermo for the trouble, with talks detailing numbers of around £1.5 million, following Lipa donating £5000 to residents immediately following the wedding to compensate for any inconvenience.
Overall, Lipa and Turner may have caused some backlash for their luxurious celebrations, but there is no doubt in mind that the inconveniences will be compensated for, especially with the amount of money they're offering.
Images courtesy of @voguemagazine on Instagram
Chaka Khan and Simple Minds to headline Radio 2 'In the Park'
BBC Radio 2 have just announced the line up for their 'In the Park' festival commencing in Stirling, from September 11th to 13th this year. Friday is for the 'pre-party', with DJ sets from various celebrities taking the stage, such as Michelle Visage and her 'Handbag Hits', as well as Rylan Clark and his 'Rybiza Anthems'.
Saturday and Sunday are where the acts deliver, with Chaka Khan headlining for day two, and Simple Minds for day three. Accompanying Chaka Khan is:
- The Script
- ABC
- Emeli Sande
- Jack Savoretti
- Lulu
- Texas
Whereas accompanying Simple Minds is:
- Level 42
- James Blunt
- Blue
- Cast
- Appleton
- Deacon Blue
The festival is perfect for all ages, but is mainly focused for an 80s-loving audience, with both the headliners from this era. Tickets were released on Wednesday, with prices ranging from £43 for the pre-party, to £84 for Saturday and Sunday, with VIP tickets available for £146 for the weekend dates, and also 'bring your own chair' tickets. 'In the Park' is yet to sell out, so jump in the Ticketmaster queue if the festival sounds of any interest to you!
Image courtesy of @bbcradio2 on Instagram
A big week for the BBC
Now shifting over to recapping television, the BBC has announced updates to two of its major franchises: Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who.
Beginning on Wednesday, EastEnders Lacey Turner was announced as part of the Strictly cast, as well as Love Islander Danny Dyer joining her, and re-joining the cast, with Thursday's announcement. Strictly is confirmed to return this Autumn, with specific dates yet to be announced, beginning a new era for the show with the departure of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly last season. Replacing the iconic duo is presenter Emma Davis, ex-Strictly professional dancer Johannes Radebe, and comedian Josh Widdicombe, where fans will have to wait until later this year to see what this means for the running of the show.
On another note, the BBC also put out a statement regarding the future of beloved tv series Doctor Who. Last year it was confirmed that there would be a festive special this year, yet Wednesday's announcement confirmed how it would no longer be released. Additionally, Rusell T Davis, the showrunner of Doctor Who, announced his leave from the show in an Instagram post, leaving fans uncertain as for the future of the show. For now, the BBC seem to be focusing less attention on the main series, but rather directing efforts into producing the new Doctor Who animated series for CBeebies, which seems concerning for hardcore fans of the show.
Courtesy of @russelltdavis63 on Instagram
In other pop culture news...
- The 79th annual Tony Awards were held on Sunday, 7th June, celebrating Broadway excellence for the 2025-26 season
- Charli XCX announces her US tour to accompany her new album Music, Fashion, Film, and alludes to a UK tour to be announced soon
- Phoebe Bridgers returns to the music scene with 'The Lost Tour' in the US and UK, playing in various arenas this November and December.
- Download Festival began on Wednesday in Donington Park, with headliners Limpbizkit, Guns N' Roses, and Linkin Park
It is without doubt that this week has been packed with drama in pop culture, with both highs and lows which have made for certainly an entertaining recap. As for next week, we will have to see - so stay tuned!
Cover image courtesy of BBC Radio 2 'In the Park' Festival / User Raph_PH on Wikipedia under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
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