Music News
The final weeks of summer 2014 are bringing festival season to a close, but plenty of new music and concert tours are on the way from stars like Ariana Grande, U2, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, and more. Secure your concert tickets from Vivid Seats to see these artists share their fresh music live.
Ariana Grande Tour Set to Launch in Feb. 2015
On Sept. 10, Ariana Grande confirmed that she will be touring in support of her sophomore album, the chart-topping My Everything, beginning in early 2015. Grande’s first headlining venture in North America will span nearly two months from the first show in Independence, Mo. (Feb. 25) to the last performance in San Jose, Calif. (April 12). The 25-date Ariana Grande tour was announced on the same day NBC confirmed that the “Problem” singer will be the first musical guest on the show’s 40th season, which premieres on Sept. 27. She’ll be joined on the first episode by host Chris Pratt.
U2 New Album Gets Surprise Early Release
Following a live performance at Apple’s unveiling of the iPhone 6, U2 announced on Sept. 9 that its long-awaited follow-up to 2009’s No Line on the Horizon is now available to stream for free online. The new U2 album, dubbed Songs of Innocence, won’t be available in a physical form until Oct. 13, but thanks to a partnership with Apple, fans can access a free copy of the release via iTunes, Beats Music, and iTunes Radio for the next five weeks. Although the Irish rock outfit has yet to confirm a supporting trek for the album, it’s likely a U2 tour is in the works for 2015. The band’s last venture, the two-year U2 360° Tour, remains the highest-grossing and best-attended concert tour in history, with more than 7 million tickets sold worldwide.
New Albums on the Way from Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Prince, Foo Fighters, and More
A slew of new albums will be released in the remaining months of 2014, many of which will bring the possibility of headlining tours from some of the nation’s favorite performers. CMA Award winner Kenny Chesney will be dropping his new album, The Big Revival, on Sept. 23, and ahead of the release, the singer has debuted three songs from the project, including the title track, which came out on Sept. 8. Chesney has already confirmed plans to return to the road in 2015, although no dates have yet been revealed.
In addition to Chesney, fellow country mainstays Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Florida Georgia Line have new albums coming out this fall. McGraw's Sundown Heaven Town (Sept. 16) marks the singer's second straight year with a new release, while Shelton’s Bringing Back the Sunshine will drop on Sept. 30, and Florida Georgia Line’s sophomore release, Anything Goes--the follow-up to the multi-Platinum Here’s to the Good Times--will be out on Oct. 14.
Country-turned-pop superstar Taylor Swift also previously announced her intentions to release her fifth studio album, 1989, on Oct. 27. As of Sept. 10, the lead single, “Shake It Off,” maintains its position atop the Billboard Hot 100. For the first time in four years, funk legend Prince will be releasing two new albums--his solo LP Art Official Age and 3rdEyeGirl’s Plectrumelectrum--on Sept. 29, and in November, the Dave Grohl-helmed Foo Fighters will drop Sonic Highways, the band’s first release in almost three years.
In other music news, Lil Wayne--who’s currently in the middle of a co-headlining tour with Drake, will be releasing his highly anticipated Tha Carter V on Oct. 28. Just about three weeks later on Nov. 17, U.K. pop giant One Direction will drop its fourth studio album, the aptly titled Four.