Usher will take the stage at the annual The Roots Picnic at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia at 9:15pm Eastern Time on June 4. It’s his third big festival appearance of the year, following on from Dreamville and Lovers & Friends. The Roots have hosted the music festival every year, except 2020 and 2021, since 2008. However, Usher appears to building up to something big. His diamond-certified album Confessions turns 20 next year and he has promised “some incredible activations” to celebrate it. Furthermore, Usher has voiced his interest in headlining the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show and will perform in Europe later this year.
Usher has performed at the festival once before, in 2016. However, he is returning as one of the major headliners. Usher made headlines earlier this year while headlining the Lovers & Friends Festival. The night before the festival, Usher got into a physical altercation with Chris Brown. While Usher performed, he did so wearing sunglasses after he allegedly beat down by Brown’s entourage. Neither artist has publicly commented on what went down during Brown’s birthday party.
Walking through the festival grounds at around midnight local time, fans were going wild as Usher moved through the crowd. “You’re watching history in the making!” Usher can be heard saying. Despite his set being nearly 24 hours away, he was absolutely adored by the crowd around him. Saturday night was closed out by Ms. Lauryn Hill. Other artists featured on the first day of the festival included Symba, GloRilla, and DJ Akademiks.
The Sunday lineup is absolutely stacked. On the Park Stage, Usher is preceded by the likes of City Girls and Ari Lennox. Elsewhere, acts like Saucy Santana and DJ Drama can be found on the Presser Stage. Finally, the Podcast Stage is being headlined by Charlamagne Tha God. We’ll have any news that comes out of the festival. Who are you excited about at the festival? Let us know in the comments Follow all the latest music news here at HotNewHipHop.
10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced that he is leaving the band because the demands of touring have become too much for him.
The 75-year-old musician, who also spent time performing with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works, has chosen to walk away from the legendary rock group after more than five decades.
He shared: “After so many wonderful years with 10cc, I must admit that the rigours of touring are no longer manageable for me as I get older, and I feel it’s time to let go of the long hours in airports and endless travel on buses.
“I’m not planning to stop playing altogether. I will still perform but at a pace that feels right, working alongside old friends and a new group of fellow musicians called The Guilty Men.”
Frontman Graham Gouldman confessed that it will feel unusual to perform without his “longest-running musical associate.”
He explained: “When Paul and I first joined forces in 10cc, we never could have imagined that we’d still be at it after 30 years, let alone 52.
“Paul has been my longest musical partner and it will feel different to turn around and see another drummer, but I completely understand why he no longer wants to sit on a plane for 14 hours or wake up in a new hotel every day for weeks at a time.”
Ben Stone, who has previously played with Mike and The Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler, will be taking over on drums.
Paul, who had several runs with 10cc after joining in 1973, performed his final show with the I’m Not In Love band in Alexandria, Virginia this past September.
The group is set to continue their And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour in the UK next year.
