Governors Ball took over Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in Queens, New York, from June 7-9, featuring good weather, great vibes, and a cavalcade of stars: Post Malone, Rauw Alejandro, P1Harmony, Blondshell, 21 Savage, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Sexyy Red, Chappell Roan, Faye Webster, Peso Pluma and many more. Our photographers were on the ground to catch some of the best moments onstage, backstage, and in the crowd. Take a look.
Kevin March, Doug Gillard, Robert Pollard, Mark Shue, and Bobby Bare Jr. make up GBV.
“We Outlast Them All” is the perfect name for Guided by Voices’ latest single — the first off of their 44th studio album, Crawlspace of the Pantheon, out May 29 on Guided By Voices Inc Records.
“The entire song, the music, and melody was written all the way through in one take,” says frontman Robert Pollard. “Could be our ‘We Are the Champions,’ but it’s not necessarily about us. It could be about any couple or group of people or organization that perseveres over a long period of time. If it is referring to us, it’s actually somewhat self-deprecating as the goal is simply to ‘seek to occupy the crawlspace of the pantheon.’”
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The upbeat rocker is the first glimpse from said crawlspace, an album that — like its 2025 predecessor Thick, Rich, and Delicious — was recorded in-studio, a rarity for a band with members scattered around the country. “I just felt that using that approach yielded a pretty good record,” Pollard says. “I think the performances were very tight and energetic so I thought we should go for it again — albeit a slightly more serious tone.”
Pollard adds that he worked “much more diligently on this set of lyrics,” he says.
“I chiseled away at lines and sections to make sure the phrasings were totally acceptable. I wanted them to have an overall emotionally conceptual feel. At times it feels somewhat autobiographical, especially a few specific songs. ‘Lost in the Sun’ I think is about being out on the road, maybe out West. ‘Out With a Theory’ is almost the ballad of the history of Guided by Voices. Namely the early- to mid-period lineups.”
The history of GBV stretches many decades and lineups back, with multiple records out per year, but the band never manages to lose its sheen. Solid guitar rock, inventive melodies and instrumentation all contribute to the Dayton, Ohio, band’s longevity.
“I do think that everyone in the band turned in top-rate performances, which they pretty much always do,” Pollard says of this latest release. “The album was fun, I enjoy it, and now it’s on to the next one. Without over analyzing, that’s pretty much the process and always has been.”
Kneecap dropped a new single, “Smugglers & Scholars,” which reflects on the past state of revolution in Ireland. The hard-hitting track comes off the Belfast trio’s forthcoming LP, Fenian, out April 24 via Heavenly Recordings.
“Smugglers and scholars/ Getting guns with American dollars,” the group raps. “Did it before do it again no bother/ Don’t need your help with internal matters.”
Kneecap explained in a statement that the song is “a track that’s reminiscing on revolutionary times in Ireland, driven by a hopefulness, when the working class, academics and good people everywhere united and took action in search of a better future.”
Fenian marks the group’s first album since a series of polarizing political statements threatened to derail their career. “They tried to stop us by branding Kneecap ‘terrorists’, with cancellations, with statements from the Prime Minister himself,” the group said in a statement. “We had all the motivation we needed… this isn’t a swift reaction, but a considered response to those that tried to silence us. And failed.”
The musicians previously shared “Liar’s Tale” alongside a politically-themed music video. The single took aim at British prime minister Keir Starmer, who condemned Kneecap after they displayed the messages “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “Fuck Israel / Free Palestine” at Coachella 2025.
“You think we’d move on and forget what happened,” the group sings on the track. “Nah fuck Keir Starmer, Netanyahu’s bitch and genocide armer, better off as compost for farmers.”
Kneecap will tour Europe and the U.K. in support of Fenian this summer. The group is set for several festivals, including Primavera in Barcelona and Porto, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and Reading & Leeds Festivals in England.
Kanye West attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
When Kanye West ordered demolition inside the Tadao Ando–designed Malibu mansion he purchased for $57.3 million in 2021, did his decisions lead to serious physical and financial harm for one of his construction workers, or were the claims fabricated to extract money from the wealthy rap artist now known as Ye?
That was the question put to jurors Tuesday during opening statements at a trial in downtown Los Angeles. The plaintiff, Tony Saxon, sat in court as his lawyer portrayed Ye as a volatile visionary who allegedly ordered Saxon to hollow out the beachfront mansion designed by the Pritzker Prize–winning Japanese architect as part of an ever-shifting engineering experiment. Ye’s attorneys countered that Saxon was an independent contractor, operating without a license, who earned more than $240,000 for roughly six weeks of work and is now seeking compensation for problems of his own making.
“Like the rest of us, Tony is not perfect. Like the rest of us, he has weaknesses. But he’s intensely loyal, intensely hard-working. He shows up and works hard. And he’s bi-polar. He goes through high highs and low lows,” Saxon’s lawyer, Ron Zambrano, told the jury.
Zambrano said Ye’s now-wife, Bianca Censori, first contacted Saxon for some interior work at the home based on a referral. It was September 2021, when Censori was working for Ye while pursuing her architectural license. At the time, Ye was still married to reality TV star Kim Kardashian. Saxon, the lawyer said, was soon hired as a project manager, security guard, and live-in caretaker at the contemporary poured-concrete home on the sandy beach along the Pacific Ocean.
One morning before dawn, Ye arrived in a Lamborghini and took Saxon to breakfast at McDonald’s, Zambrano said. “Ye notices Saxon doesn’t smell good [because] he’s living on the floor. He invites him to the Nobu [hotel], and the 22-time Grammy winner, global icon, then husband of Kim Kardashian draws Mr. Saxon a bath, lends him clothes, and then sends him back to the house,” the lawyer said. At the time, Saxon thought Ye was “a nice guy,” the lawyer added.
Zambrano said Ye envisioned transforming the property into an “off-the-grid shelter” that was “simple, fresh, clean, with everything removed to be ultra-minimalist.” According to the lawyer, Ye wanted toilets, plumbing, windows, electrical outlets, wiring, a jacuzzi, and fireplaces all ripped out and carted away.
“He wanted no toilets. If people had to go Number 2, it was a hole in the ground,” Zambrano said. When Saxon was asked to help remove the “beautifully made” chimney stacks, he seriously injured his back, the lawyer said.
Pacing in front of a jury of seven women and five men, Zambrano said Ye’s plans also included replacing cement steps with a three-story slide descending into a pool near the ocean. Saxon, he claimed, was asked to oversee work at the house without permits.
When a neighbor, identified as an Israeli ambassador, allegedly complained about construction noise, Saxon attempted to befriend him, Zambrano said. The lawyer argued that Saxon was later fired after raising concerns that generators at the site posed a risk of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. He said his client is still owed $75,000 for completed work, and he claimed Saxon’s injuries caused lasting harm, leaving him unable to stand for extended periods or continue his work as a rare-records dealer.
“Ye didn’t just dismantle this beach house, he dismantled the rule book,” Zambrano said. “[Saxon] was in the way, and he was removed.”
When it was his turn to speak, Ye’s lawyer, Andrew Cherkasky, offered a sharply different account. He said Saxon was paid handsomely for six weeks of work on the “architectural gem” that Ye respected as a minimalist masterpiece. According to Cherkasky, Ye envisioned living in the home with his kids in a style akin to beach camping. Saxon, he said, was hired to perform “renovation prep work” but instead “destroyed the Ando house.”
Cherkasky argued that Saxon wanted to keep the project “under the radar” because he feared building inspectors might ask questions. Saxon was worried “he’d be busted for being unlicensed,” the lawyer said the evidence would show.
“It was Saxon who set for himself an impossible standard. He wanted to work 24/7. He wanted to camp at the house. He wanted to be the guy in charge,” Cherkasky said. “Ye will tell you he was shocked hearing there was no bathroom there. … Nobody asked [Saxon] to stay there, certainly not overnight.”
The lawyer said Saxon later told a mental health professional that he had quit his job with Ye. Cherkasky also claimed there’s “not a single medical record” showing Saxon was injured on the job.
“[Saxon] claimed he broke his neck working for Ye. He did not,” Cherkasky said. “He’s a guy who had almost nothing who came across an opportunity to work for a billionaire.” It wasn’t until two years later, after Ye found himself in his “own bipolar place,” that Saxon saw an opportunity to file a legal claim, Cherkasky said. Ultimately, he told jurors, the case “comes down to credibility.”
Saxon first filed his lawsuit in 2023. He claimed he was working as an employee of Ye’s property company when he injured his back and was encouraged to keep working. Saxon claimed he was fired in retaliation when he raised safety concerns.
“He goes, ‘If you don’t do what I asked you to do, you’re a Clinton. You’re a Kardashian. You’re an enemy and I’m not going to be a friend anymore. I’m not going to provide you with an opportunity anymore. You’re only going to see me on TV,’” Saxon previously told Rolling Stone. “I said to him, ‘I don’t watch TV’ and he said, ‘Get the fuck out.’ And that was it.”
Ye’s spokesman, Milo Yiannopoulos, attended the first two days of trial, sitting at the defense table with Ye’s lawyers. During jury selection, several prospective jurors expressed disapproval of Ye and his antisemitic statements in recent years. The jurors ultimately selected said they could set aside personal opinions and follow the law. (The 12-member jury needs agreement from nine jurors to reach a verdict.)
Saxon’s case is the first to reach a jury among a wave of civil complaints filed by people who worked for Ye over the past six years. Ye, 48, faced more than a dozen lawsuits after a highly publicized Twitter tirade in October 2022, tweeting his now-infamous plan to “go death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE.” Weeks later, Rolling Stone published an investigation into the allegedly “toxic” work environment at his Yeezy label, where Ye purportedly told one staffer that “skinheads and Nazis were his greatest inspiration.” Ye later apologized in an Instagram post written in Hebrew, but he again promoted antisemitic ideology, sporting a T-shirt for the Norwegian metal musician Burzum, who has been fined for antisemitism. Ye also promoted Vultures 1 with artwork that seem to nod toward Burzum’s cover art.
Last month, Ye purchased a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal to apologize again for his antisemitic remarks. In the statement, titled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” he coupled his apology with a discussion of his struggle with bipolar disorder. He said he was not properly diagnosed until 2023 and that head trauma from a 2002 car accident that shattered his jaw contributed to manic episodes and statements he now regrets.
Ye and Censori are both expected to testify at the trial, which is estimated to last another 10 days.
Charley Crockett has canceled a string of shows scheduled in Canada over the next two weeks. In a statement shared on Instagram, the musician regretfully informed fans that he was denied entry into the country on two occasions this past weekend. The restriction stems from his felony conviction for marijuana possession dating back to 2014.
“Everybody’s got a past. Mine’s still haunting me,” Crockett wrote on Instagram. He attempted to enter Canada first through Vancouver, where he was promptly detained. He later made another attempt through Kelowna. After the second rejection, he wrote, “I’ve been advised that it would jeopardize my freedom to try and enter again.”
The report issued to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada notes that if Crockett had been detained in Canada for the same charges he faced in Virginia, the offense “would be punishable by a term of life imprisonment.” In March 2016, Crockett received a suspended sentence and was fined in addition to being placed on probation.
Crockett’s Canadian tour was scheduled to begin on Feb. 23 in Edmonton. Additional stops were set for Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Niagara Falls through March 6. He has performed in most of these cities as recently as 2024. Crockett will resume touring with more shows in the U.S. beginning March 7.
Canadian ticket holders will receive refunds at their point of purchase, though Crockett hopes to make it up to them eventually. “I apologize to everyone affected. I know I let y’all down,” he wrote. “Canada’s such a beautiful country full of some of the best fans in the world, and I’ve had the time of my life playing shows for y’all. I ain’t one to quit and I aim to be back one of these days real soon.”
Crockett has often spoken candidly about his past, and has weighed in on debates both political and musical. Earlier this month, in a lengthy Instagram post, the Texan wrote that “the country music establishment should be taking notes” from Bad Bunny and went on to call President Trump “a grifter.” Last summer, during an appearance on Rolling Stone‘s Nashville Now podcast, he elaborated on what he sees as the difference between outlaw country and pop-country.
“They call the outlaw movement a subgenre of commercial country, but today there’s no doubt in my mind, that what they’re calling pop country is most certainly a subgenre of outlaw,” Crockett said, adding that he thinks the pop-country industry is mostly vacuous.
“I don’t think they stand for anything. They stand for Auto-Tune and songs written by a committee,” he said. “Outlaw was about standing up for your rights against a very rigid music business system. In a game where you throw money at a young artist, and if it doesn’t work out, no problem, because there’s 1,000 standing behind you, well, a controversial figure is unlikely to ever rise.”
Kali Uchis on March 29, 2025 in Inglewood, CA.
Kali Uchis‘s The Sincerely Tour stop at the Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara on Sunday, Feb. 22, was cancelled as violence overtakes parts of Mexico following the killing of Mexico’s top cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during a Mexican military operation supported by U.S. intelligence.
Promoter Ocesa announced the cancellation on social media, stating that refunds for ticket holders will be provided. In an Instagram Stories post, the singer wrote, “I would like to let those who care about my safety know that I am safe thank you for your well wishes.” Uchis’s concert this Wednesday, Feb, 25 in Mexico City at the Palacio de los Deportes is still scheduled to take place.
A host of other acts scheduled for Sunday were cancelled including performances by Pancho Barraza in Huaristemba, Nayarit, and La Arrolladora Banda El Limón concert in Michoacán.
Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and one of the world’s most-notorious drug traffickers, died during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state. His killing under President Claudia Sheinbaum was one of the most aggressive attacks on the cartel since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán a decade ago. Oseguera Cervantes death arrives amid escalating pressure from the Trump administration, which has been threatening strikes in Mexico against drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations. Such a strike from the U.S. on foreign ground would violently breach Mexico’s sovereignty.
The killing on Sunday triggered a wave of violence, with cars, buses, and business being torched by alleged cartel members, blockading roads across 20 Mexican states. The U.S. State Department instructed U.S. citizens in affected areas to “shelter in place until further notice.”
