#that was the fifth concert I’ve been to

[behindthearmory]

Was a Real Person for couple of hours and saw Joy Oladokun. I can never do a standing only venue again. I left early. My feet are in a little foot bath and I’m lavender camomile tea and eating yogurt.

[blooperpossum]

I’m so thankful that I was able to see Slouching towards Bethlehem so soon. Seeing Will Wood live has always been my dream, and I was so sad a few years ago when I couldn’t take off of work to see him when he was here. This show was absolutely life changing. I want to talk about this with as little spoil about it as I can.

First off when I was in the Merch line at the beginning of the show Will would often stop at the merch table, and thankfully everyone was really respectful and didn’t yell at him or swarm at him. I think it’s because we’re all adult with social anxiety. I like to think that Will is a cryptid of some sort and that if we acknowledged his presence he would become threatening like an SCP. I did enjoy that after he walked away that everyone looked at each other smiling, it was really cute.

Secondly, Will stood near my table (not next to me directly but a few steps away) durning Schayfer James first song which I thought was really cool, I’ve never seen another artist do that. I really enjoying seeing other artists support each other even if they “hate” each other.

Third, both Schayfer and Will were very interactive with the audience which is amazing. Will would even walk into the crowd while he was talking which was really cool.

Fourth, this was one of the most respectful shows I have ever been to. There was no heckling, nobody was singing at the top of their lungs. The only issue I had was the person behind me had their leg on my chair and kept shaking it, which just made me feel nauseous. It did stop thankfully.

Fifth, the storytelling was hilarious. There were moments we would be on the edge of our seats and then just burst out in laughter. It was fantastic the way he was able to keep us guessing.

Lastly, the music. I’ve been to many concerts where the artists doesn’t sound as good as the recording but Will really has a way with his voice. It’s an amazing talent, and I’m so glad he came back to preform for everyone like this. Hearing your favorite songs live are so euphoric. I know I’m going to be chasing this concert high for a while. I’m so thankful I was able to go.

Thank you Will Wood and Schayfer James. I hope I can see you both again soon.

[heartforsunoo]

INTERVIEW

NI-KI: “Moments like that make me think I was born to do this”

ENHYPEN ‘ROMANCE : UNTOLD -daydream-’ 컴백 인터뷰

2024.11.18

NI-KI is turning his long-held dream into reality. And in the process, he’s discovering the unique style of singing, dancing, and everything else that defines him.

Your ASMR’s becoming really popular. (laughs)

NI-KI: Really? That’s good to hear. (laughs) I honestly didn’t expect it. I’m glad it’s not just ENGENE but ASMR fans who enjoy it, too. I never thought it would get such a good response. (laughs)

You use items from around your room when you do ASMR that reflect your personal style. Is home decor something you’re into?

NI-KI: I’ve always liked decorating things. Once I got my own room, I picked out the furniture and decor, and spent some time researching designs to try and make it a comfortable place to hang out. I don’t really like bright spaces, so I bought a lamp with a warm light to make my room feel darker. It makes watching movies a really immersive experience. (laughs) I always watch movies that line up with our concepts whenever we’re about to have a comeback. For the latest album, I watched 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days to explore the emotion of love.

What about it resonated with you?

NI-KI: The female lead is Japanese, and the male lead is Taiwanese, and there are times where they struggle to communicate with each other because of the language barrier. I had similar issues communicating when I first came to Korea since I’m Japanese. I could relate to the challenge of getting to know someone under difficult circumstances, too.

On that note, what do you see as the message behind your new single, “No Doubt”?

NI-KI: Being in love can make you worry or feel anxious, but when you’ve been together a long time, there’s trust there, too. I approached it with that sense of trust in mind. Even though we have no choice but to be apart from ENGENE at times, we trust each other after coming this far together. When I was practicing, I had my mind on that reassurance that we love each other. I tend to sing in this really breathy way, so it felt natural expressing those emotions. The song’s also got a lot of low notes, so I felt like it was a good fit for me. (laughs)

Where do you place your focus when recording vocals to really bring out your vocal strengths?

NI-KI: I spent a lot of time thinking about how best to bring out my voice when singing in the low to mid-range. I don’t like it when my voice sounds even the tiniest bit like it’s not me, so even if they say it’s okay, I still ask to do it again. Every one of us has to find our own signature sound. I’ve become determined over the years to come up with my own style for singing and dancing that nobody but I can do. I might not be great when it comes to high notes, but being able to hit low notes like I do is a plus by itself. It means my voice sounds soothing when I sing ballads and things, and I can also add a lot of oomph to harder ones like hip hop songs, which is another strength of mine.

You also brought your signature carefree vibe to the “No Doubt” choreography.

NI-KI: The song has sexy, stylish, sophisticated choreography. I believe a song’s message should always be reflected through facial expressions and movements. I put a lot of thought into the facial expressions, like how I frown on the words, “you’re my answer,” and I focused on dancing softly at a controlled pace since it’s a chill track. ENHYPEN’s going into our fifth year now, and I hope people can feel the difference in how much sexier we are after five years. (laughs) Everyone in the group brings something unique to their parts, so I hope people enjoy watching it.

What’s the most important point to consider for a perfect performance?

NI-KI: Personally, I find what I do with my head is super important. It’s what makes the performance feel dynamic and energetic. I practically use a full can of hairspray to hold my hair in place for concerts. Even if I use that much spray to give myself bankkan bangs [down over one side of the forehead, slicked back on the other], by the time we get to the end, it’s turned into deommeo bangs [covering the whole forehead]. (laughs) And when ENGENE cheers really loudly or gets me excited, I start ad-libbing without realizing it, which is really weird but cool. I don’t even plan it in advance—it just comes to me on the spot, like, How about I try this? Moments like that are so amazing that they make me think I was born to do this.

You did some old-school hip hop for the STUDIO CHOOM Artist Of The Month series, and it was really fascinating to see a different side of you from when you’re with ENHYPEN.

NI-KI: One of the backup dancers was my hip hop dance instructor back when I was a trainee. It was a little weird. I wanted to show how much I’ve improved since my trainee days, and all the feelings I had when I first fell in love with dance came back to me—like I was a trainee again. (laughs) Back then, I was absolutely determined to debut. It was do or die. So I approached Artist Of The Month with the same kind of determination, looking at it like my first and last chance—like I couldn’t not take the opportunity to show people an image that’s uniquely me. And anyway, I was there representing ENHYPEN, so I felt I had to do a good job. That’s why I insisted on doing hip hop. Thankfully, everything I wanted to do was incorporated into it, and I’m truly grateful and happy with the high-quality result.

I heard you had a lot of input on everything from the outfits to the choice of song, choreography, camera angles, and lighting.

NI-KI: I always watch a lot of videos of dancers doing choreography and at competitions. Not only are they amazing at making choreography, but they have great fashion sense and even work on the lighting. Watching stuff like that made me want to get actively involved in making content. Actually, I was busy with so many different things when the request came in, so part of me was worried, but once I got started, it was a ton of fun. I reviewed my dancing so much because I wanted everything to be perfect right from the outset, so now I have tons of videos of me practicing on my phone. We shot 14 hours’ worth of footage—long enough to fly to the US and back. (laughs) But it was so fantastic that sometimes I fantasize about going back to that time. I still watch that video.

You have a well-documented interest in fashion, and your old-school 1980s fashion in that video is really attention-grabbing.

NI-KI: I thought it was a good fit for the choreo. There’s so many styles of dance from the ’80s and ’90s that are still legendary even today, so we talked a lot about wanting choreography that would fit the outfits while getting ready for Artist Of The Month. I gave them some ideas on how I could dress in a way that would both make me stand out and look good with dancers dressed in the classic ’80s matchup of baggy jeans with Timberland boots. I was in constant talks with the visual team and I think we managed to find a good style.

Your outfit at the ‘WALK THE LINE’ IN GOYANG sound check got people talking, too. You seem to be good at pulling off unique fashion choices.

NI-KI: At some point, I started wanting to dress well at sound checks and places like airports, even when I’m just wearing regular clothes. I wanted to show ENGENE that I can dress well, so I’ve been studying up on my own and talking it over with the styling team. I search through popular magazines and fashion archives for fits and tones I can pull off. But finding clothes I truly love is hard. (laughs) I’m really into clothes with patches lately. What I’m wearing right now has patches. I searched really hard to find it, so I love it all the more. I love it.

There are many points in your concerts where teamwork shines through, like at the ‘WALK THE LINE’ IN GOYANG show, where you playfully teased SUNOO during “Your Eyes Only,” and encouraged JAY with a “you can do it!” during the encore.

NI-KI: When I’m at a concert, I lower my guard. I bounce around when things get exciting, feel close to the rest of the group, joke around when I feel like it. (laughs) I’ve had ENGENE tell me lately, “All you want to show anymore is your cool side!” But that’s not true. I want to be a cool guy, obviously, but I don’t like forcing a fake look. ENGENE seems to like it more when I’m emotionally open during our own concerts. They still see me as a little kid. Oh well. Can’t be helped. (laughs)

But you do have a serious side. After the FATE PLUS tour, you wrote on Weverse, “Thanks to the rest of the group, the seven of us can overcome anything. I’m extremely thankful for them.”

NI-KI: I want us all to do a good job and make it together. I think the reason we’ve made it this far is because we all make up for each other’s shortcomings. I have a lot to be thankful for. There was plenty to worry about when we first started getting ready for concerts and tense moments, but the more we’ve worked together, the more things seem possible. They’ve all been a huge source of strength for me just by quietly taking care of me and being there by my side. I felt too embarrassed to say it out loud, but on the inside, I depended on them. I want to do whatever I’m able to and help them out whenever they need it. I’m really proud of all the hard work we put into our concerts and what we make in the end, and I’m glad ENHYPEN loves it just as much.

Come to think of it, you’re the same age now as HEESEUNG was during the Mnet series I-LAND and as SUNGHOON, JAKE, and JAY were for BORDER: CARNIVAL. (laughs)

NI-KI: Heheh… At the time, I wanted to hurry up and be an adult like them so I could pull off every concept like them. That might just sound like I was saying “I wanna grow up!” but what I really wanted was to have a competitive edge as an artist. (laughs)

You became an adult this year. How have things felt different since then?

NI-KI: My personality’s changed a lot. Even as recently as the year after we debuted I was still really extroverted, but I’ve calmed down a lot since then. And I feel like I’ve really grown since I can assess different situations with an objective eye. I used to follow along with whatever other people wanted me to do, but I’m a lot more driven and proactive now. I’m happy with that since who I am now feels like the real Nishimura Riki. I’m in the process of showing my true colors.

In your debut interview, you said that being onstage at the Tokyo Dome for a SHINee concert made you determined to “be the one on that stage someday.” What was it like returning to the Tokyo Dome?

NI-KI: I got really emotional. Riding the lift by myself and looking out from the stage, I saw the same view from when I was a kid dancer for SHINee. I could even see my parents looking at me and smiling. I tried to hold it in all the way to the end, but once I got to “BLOSSOM,” I couldn’t hold back anymore. It confirmed to me that all my hard work had been worth it, and that was extremely moving for me. I was overjoyed. It was one of the single most memorable performances I’ve ever put on. It made me hope that ENGENE feels the same way as I do at all our concerts. I still get sentimental when I watch videos from that day.

Is that why you’re always saying that you want to repay ENGENE by putting on even better performances for them?

NI-KI: Yes, because performing onstage is, in my opinion, the most important part of my job, and what I strive to do best at. I believe that doing my very best onstage and sending good vibes their way is how I can return the love ENGENE gives me.

You can’t see love with your eyes, but I think it’s visible to ENGENE thanks to all your effort. Are there moments for you, too, where you almost feel you can see ENGENE’s love in concert?

NI-KI: While on tour, I saw deaf ENGENE in the audience signing with their friends. They might not be able to hear our music, but they still came to enjoy our concert. And isn’t that true love? That’s something I was able to feel and experience because we had the opportunity to meet so many ENGENE, and that made touring even more special to me. It was like my heart was singing from that moment on.

After the FATE world tour, you wrote on Weverse, “One long journey comes to an end, only for a new one to begin, so I hope you’ll come find us again soon.” In your original Japanese, why did you describe your concerts not using the more common term “tour” but instead using the word “journey”?

NI-KI: For me, that whole experience added up to a journey. Visiting all those cities, regions, countries, feeling the culture unique to each place, trying the food only available there, breathing in their air, meeting all the people… That’s what makes tours so exciting. I had such a wonderful time getting to see so many ENGENE during that, so I wrote “journey.”

What kind of “journeys” do you hope to have with ENGENE in the future?

NI-KI: A journey held together by a strong bond. (laughs) I want to work hard at what I love, take good care of ENGENE, and be with them for a long time. And I want to stay true to myself—not put up a facade, just be genuine. So I’m living my best life and giving it my all so I won’t have any regrets later on. Even if I can’t change the past, I can still shape the future through my actions.

[themultifandomgal]

From 2010- On The Road Again Tour Pt2

Part 49

2015

5th June- Cardiff

After a little break we’re back on tour again. We just finished up our show in Cardiff and are now on the way to the airport to head to Austria for our next show

“I’ve been thinking” I say with my head on Harry’s shoulder

“Oh no” he mutters jokingly. I give him a nudge “ow”

“That didn’t hurt” I roll my eyes at him and lift my head up

“You weren’t the one nudged in the ribs with an elbow”

“Your such a baby” I laugh knowing Harry is only messing with me

“What were you thinking about?” Niall asks getting me back to what I was originally going to say

“Since we spoke about going on a hiatus after this year, I’ve been thinking that I would like to release an album. I’m not sure about going on tour or anything but an album would be kinda nice”

“I could speak to Jeff for you if you’d like. See what strings he could pull for you” Harry says seriously

“That would be great. I also have one more thing”

“What?” Liam asks nervously

“I want you all to help me with the album. With the lyrics and even the music if possible. I still want a part of you guys on the album in some way, I dunno maybe it will help me to actually want to release it”

“Well I guess once we’re on the plane we should get started then”

—

“Ok how does this sound, I hate to spoil the end, but the guy don’t get the girlfriend and Romeo’s a pathological narcissist, so send my love to Juliet” I sing while we’re sat on the plane

“I love it. Then you could go back into the pre-chorus” Liam says taking my notebook “I also like what you’ve written here, don’t want my love so kiss me goodbye like mwah, I think that could work in this song”

9th July- San Diego

“Guess who just text me?” I say to the boys walking into their changing room

“Liam?” Louis guesses

“Nope” I shake my head “James. As in my first boyfriend James”

“James who cheated on you with a guy?” Harry frowns

“The one and only”

“What did he want?” Liam asks putting a shirt on

“He wanted to get back together”

“What?” Nialls eyes look like they’re about to pop out of his head

“Yup”

“What did you tell him?” Harry asks

“No of course. But part of me wishes I could break his heart right back”

“Maybe you can” Louis says with a mischievous grin “write a song about it. He will know it’s about him, but no one else will he will be embarrassed”

“Will you help?”

“Course we will” Harry smiles

26th July- Minneapolis

August

One Direction Members Confirm Break

25th August 2015

One Direction are going to take their first break next year since getting together on The X Factor in 2010.

According to a report in The Sun, the group are going their separate ways in March after the release of their fifth studio album.

Apparently Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan want to concentrate on solo projects, although there's been no confirmation yet from the boys. However YN YLN tease an Instagram photo before deleting it quickly afterwards. She then announced earlier this week through Twitter that she is currently writing an album with the support of Harry, Liam, Niall and Louis.

There'll be no tour for the band's fifth album and their last full concert will be at Sheffield's Motorpoint Arena on 31 October at the moment. The group will have a break over Christmas before getting back together to finish promoting their new album in February.

[bananaofswifts]

01 - Taylor Swift

No one in the music industry wielded more power over the past year than Taylor Swift, who made history at stadiums, movie theaters and on the Billboard charts, leaving even the most seasoned executives speechless. While they’d long celebrated her staggering popularity as a singer, songwriter and performer, her force as a strategic business leader suddenly came into sharper focus — and industry veterans took notes as they watched some of her bravest and most innovative business risks reap remarkable rewards.

At 34, she is one of the music industry’s most charismatic and influential leaders — and she rewrites the rules.

“The piece of advice I would give to the other executives on this list is that the best ideas are usually ones without industry precedent,” Swift tells Billboard. “The biggest crossroads moments of my career came down to sticking to my instincts when my ideas were looked at with skepticism. When someone says to me, ‘But that has never been done successfully before,’ it fires me up. We have to take strategic risks every day in this industry, but every once in a while, you have to really trust your gut and take a flying leap. My rerecordings are my favorite example of this, and I’m extremely grateful to my team and fans for taking that leap with me because it absolutely changed my life.”

Sage advice for an industry in which instinct has largely been supplanted by metrics and data analysis.

In December, Time named Swift its 2023 Person of the Year. In September, after encouraging her 279 million Instagram followers to vote and linking to vote.org, the nonpartisan nonprofit said it received over 35,000 registrations. She appears on the cover of this issue of Billboard and in the No. 1 spot of our annual Power 100 issue because her force across the business of music is now unparalleled — and because she models commitment to innovation that the rest of the business will need in order to tackle the big challenges ahead.

Swift’s gambles have paid off handsomely over the past year.

Her massive The Eras stadium tour, which began in March after she controversially put all the tickets on sale at once, crashing Ticketmaster and sparking mass hysteria, grossed an estimated $906.1 million in 2023 and is poised to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time before it wraps in December, according to Billboard.

The Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, taped during her six-show run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., in August, has grossed over $261.6 million worldwide since its October opening, according to AMC Theatres Entertainment. In January, the publicly traded movie-house chain announced that the film’s box-office take made it the highest-grossing concert/documentary picture ever released, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 2009 This Is It. Once again blazing a new path, Swift made a groundbreaking distribution deal directly with AMC Theaters instead of linking with a film studio.

Swift has shaken up the catalog market, too. When Scooter Braun infuriated her by acquiring the master recordings of her first six albums through his Ithaca Holdings and then sold them to investment firm Shamrock Capital at a profit, Swift rerecorded the albums with loving precision and added bonus tracks to the new releases. They performed phenomenally well, as she deftly used her tour to promote them. When her latest rerecording (and 14th studio album overall), 1989 (Taylor’s Version), spent its fifth week at atop the Billboard 200 at the end of 2023, Swift beat Elvis Presley’s record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a solo artist. Her industry market share last year was 1.72%. If she were her own genre, she’d rank ninth for 2023 — bigger than jazz.

“She’s the smartest artist I’ve ever worked with,” says Messina Touring Group’s Louis Messina, who promotes Swift’s tours and has worked with her since 2005. “She outworks everybody and she has always had this vision. If you’re around her, you can’t help but believe in her.” —Melinda Newman

[moonchild-in-blue]

Can we talk about Turntail? Like I knew Queen the First (fifth? Miss Birdsong? Do you have a nickname for her that I’ve misremembered…) obviously had the voice of an angel, but these RUNS she is doing on this song?! They are so convoluted but she sings them so TIGHTLY?!?! And PRECISE?!?? How do I get more heart eyes over her, holy hell what a talent

You know what. It's currently past 3am and I'm playing Zelda because I can't sleep (running on sick hours over here), so yeah absolutely we can talk about Turntail 😌 Also, I don't really have a nickname for her, I just call her Miss Ma'am hahaha. Miss Birdsong is great, I'll borrow that.

(okay it is now past 4am i spent WAY too much time gushing over them sorry lol)

HONEY. THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING. If you think she sounds amazing as a BACKVOCALIST, then you're in for a treat to hear her as a main vocal of her OWN BAND HELLOOOOO.

I remember a few months ago in one of their (live? Q&A? one of them) instagram things, someone was commenting on how great she sounded, and one of the guys was like "yeah, and she didn't even get training, isn't that so annoying?", it was hilarious 😂 Miss Ma'am is a natural - no wonder Vessel got her (and the babes) to back him 💅

Turntail is fantastic, I've had it on repeat since Thursday. Their music is so interesting and unique, and a great of it is because of her singing. She does this crazy runs and unexpected intervals like it's nothing, and her tone is so so SO clear and stable. Her lows??? Like, honey can go reeeeal low and smooth and real high and crystalline in seconds just like that??

This song in specific, I super appreciate the eerie, melancholic vibes. It's such a great successor to The Collapse (their previous single), but somehow even better. And can we talk about that sexy bassline??? Johnny boy went HARD on it (like he always does. Same with my drummer boy Matt, he's fantastic. Also he writes a lot of the lyrics alongside Lyns, he's fantastic). I love the breakdown bridge and that last chorus so SO much. And the piano??? They always have the most heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, beautiful piano melodies, and yet I get pikachu faced everytime. What can't the queen do. Also, this is the first time they're using a voice effect-tune-thingy so, interesting choice there. The babes sound beautiful as ever too 💖

While my favourite thing from them is still the 1st ep (The Thing With Feathers - please please PLEASE go listen to it. The Downpour and The River are my favourite songs of them, they're so amazing, please I am begging you, you'll love it), you can absolutely hear how much better they get with each new thing they put out. I'm so so excited for when they finally release a full length album, it's been a long time in the making.

If you listen to their latest ep, Dancing In The Face Of Danger, you'll see that they went for a more upbeat vibe (notable on Pyre and Ever The Optimistic), so it feels great to hear the Sad Vibes™ again. Nothing against upbeat stuff (Pyre is one of their best songs fr), but I am an emo at heart sooo... yeah. Miss Birdsong sounds like an elf or some other woodland creature - idk if its just me but you can hear traces of folk music in it and ugh what a combo.

Super super reccomend you hear them live. There are a few recordings on YT, and some of them do feature one or both of the Espera babes too.

(not gonna talk about how once again i missed their concert 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 it was today/yesterday 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 i'm fine really not salty at all 😃😃😃😃😃😃)

Also - do not sleep on their Diamond Eyes cover. Genuinely does NOT feel like a cover AT ALL. Covering Deftones is so daunting because of how unique a they are, and by god those beautiful bastards did it. I do very much prefer their version to the og, she really shines vocally there.

[iwanthermidnightz]

1) Taylor Swift

No one in the music industry wielded more power over the past year than Taylor Swift, who made history at stadiums, movie theaters and on the Billboard charts, leaving even the most seasoned executives speechless. While they’d long celebrated her staggering popularity as a singer, songwriter and performer, her force as a strategic business leader suddenly came into sharper focus — and industry veterans took notes as they watched some of her bravest and most innovative business risks reap remarkable rewards.

At 34, she is one of the music industry’s most charismatic and influential leaders — and she rewrites the rules.

“The piece of advice I would give to the other executives on this list is that the best ideas are usually ones without industry precedent,” Swift tells Billboard. “The biggest crossroads moments of my career came down to sticking to my instincts when my ideas were looked at with skepticism. When someone says to me, ‘But that has never been done successfully before,’ it fires me up. We have to take strategic risks every day in this industry, but every once in a while, you have to really trust your gut and take a flying leap. My rerecordings are my favorite example of this, and I’m extremely grateful to my team and fans for taking that leap with me because it absolutely changed my life.”

Sage advice for an industry in which instinct has largely been supplanted by metrics and data analysis.

In December, Time named Swift its 2023 Person of the Year. In September, after encouraging her 279 million Instagram followers to vote and linking to vote.org, the nonpartisan nonprofit said it received over 35,000 registrations. She appears on the cover of this issue of Billboard and in the No. 1 spot of our annual Power 100 issue because her force across the business of music is now unparalleled — and because she models commitment to innovation that the rest of the business will need in order to tackle the big challenges ahead.

Swift’s gambles have paid off handsomely over the past year.

Her massive The Eras stadium tour, which began in March after she controversially put all the tickets on sale at once, crashing Ticketmaster and sparking mass hysteria, grossed an estimated $906.1 million in 2023 and is poised to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time before it wraps in December, according to Billboard.

The Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, taped during her six-show run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., in August, has grossed over $261.6 million worldwide since its October opening, according to AMC Theatres Entertainment. In January, the publicly traded movie-house chain announced that the film’s box-office take made it the highest-grossing concert/documentary picture ever released, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 2009 This Is It. Once again blazing a new path, Swift made a groundbreaking distribution deal directly with AMC Theaters instead of linking with a film studio.

Swift has shaken up the catalog market, too. When Scooter Braun infuriated her by acquiring the master recordings of her first six albums through his Ithaca Holdings and then sold them to investment firm Shamrock Capital at a profit, Swift rerecorded the albums with loving precision and added bonus tracks to the new releases. They performed phenomenally well, as she deftly used her tour to promote them. When her latest rerecording (and 14th studio album overall), 1989 (Taylor’s Version), spent its fifth week at atop the Billboard 200 at the end of 2023, Swift beat Elvis Presley’s record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a solo artist. Her industry market share last year was 1.72%. If she were her own genre, she’d rank ninth for 2023 — bigger than jazz.

“She’s the smartest artist I’ve ever worked with,” says Messina Touring Group’s Louis Messina, who promotes Swift’s tours and has worked with her since 2005. “She outworks everybody and she has always had this vision. If you’re around her, you can’t help but believe in her.” —Melinda Newman

[luvhughes43]

i just finished binging your blake hughes au and MY GOD do i LOVE it I ADORE IT REALLY and i would like to ask the following:

first, has blake dated people before nico? if she has what would happen if they ran into an ex of hers who never really got over her? (bc lbr blake is THAT girl)

second, what are their date nights usually like? i like to think theyre pretty chill people and that they find things to do at home together like painting or making clay sculptures

third, was blake's pregnancy/delivery hard? i hope it wasnt :(( and did carrying rudi kind of mess with her back a bit? and has nico ever done the thing where the dad lifts up the belly for a bit to offer some relief?

fourth, blake and jack are twins which is the cutest thing ever! what are your personal headcanons for them as twins? and does blake have a favorite brother?

fifth, do they have more kids after rudi? or is that a long time away?

lastly, what do you think the hischier-hughes combo are up to right now?

im soso happy you love the au!! it means so much fr🫂🤍

first: blake had a summer fling with alex turcotte when they were both younger and that does cause some awkwardness with nico because he wasnt aware of their relationship before staying at the lake house. other than that we havent really discussed any other relationships ! but maybe she dates a guy for a year or two before she gets to know nico. the ex lives in nyc and he never really got over blake after they broke up (bc she is that girl🤭). blake and they ex have a few mutual friends and so maybe the ex tries to talk shit about blake and her relationship with nico. blake ends up hearing about it but she doesnt really gaf. nico gets upset about the shit talking though and gets a little possessive if they see the ex out in public. not aggressive though nico will just be extra touchy with blake which she doesn't mind one bit.

second: they are very chill ! their date nights at home usually include making dinner or dessert, painting (they've definitely done that tiktok trend where u paint your partner then do a reveal), and a little self-care spa evening🫶 when they do go out though they like to try new restaurants, see a concert in the city, dance lessons (?). i feel like blake would be obsessed with learning salsa or something and she would def make nico be her partner !

third: blake struggled with her back during her pregnancy ! she had to start PT again but nico was very helpful ! he was definitely lifting her belly, helping her with her physical therapy, etc.

fourth: jack and blake are the sassiest siblings and they 100% match each others attitude. when they were younger they'd get into arguments over literally anything but they would also forgive each other in an instant (still true once they're older). as for favourites, blake is the closet with jack and hes literally her other half but her unspoken favourite is quinn ! blake and quinn gossip like no other. on the other hand, blake babies luke soo much.

fifth (literally do not know how i missed this i’m so sorry babes): i personally think they should have one more but i’ve gotten mixed feedback… what do u guys think? because i totally see them as being a single child household but then again, they both grew up with siblings so i can see them having more babies down the line…

lastly: the hughes/hischier combo are in nyc helping blake and nico move into their first apartment ! blakes got her brothers and her bf working overtime building furniture and carrying hers & nicos things up to their apartment ! she rewards everyone with tickets to an upcoming country concert that the group had been debating on going to <3

thank u so much for the questions i really loved answering them🫂

[kfgart]

So like back in beginning of June to mid July I had an HVAC issue of having no Freon, but I thought it was just because it was that hot so I lived with it

And it making my bill really high, so I put it on an installment plan. I probably mentioned it before. I’ve been paying in halves and sometimes after the due date so I got kicked off.

I was able to afford the $123 to put it back on an installment plan, which put me down to having $109 bucks left

Now way earlier this year, I bought a couple concert tickets to see a metal band with a friend on September 9. I get paid on the fifth and will have rent to at then. I would like to pay some of it early so I can have some of that paycheck for like food stuff on that day because going to some Asian markets, too, and probably gas.

Rent $735. Can I get help between now and September 5th for $235-$335?

If you can spare it. I’m not looking for the whole thing, that’s just the most, I’d get a money order with that amount and get the $500-$400 money order on the 5th, or whatever is left over. Yall can do $20 or whatever, any amount helps. I’d say who I’m gonna see but since I have an anonymous stalking hater, who knows what they’d do. And I’m not trying to spend that amount on the 9th.

[lisbeth-kk]

May 15 prompt: green (thanks for the tag @calaisreno @raina-at

Cherished moments

The winter’s been horrible for both of them. For Sherlock it started in January. He finally managed to get covid now that the pandemic’s almost over.

Once he’d recovered, it was John’s turn. Working his arse off at the hospital for the last two years without catching the virus, was nothing but a miracle. John’s the world’s worst patient, but luckily it didn’t last as long as Sherlock’s illness. Small blessings.

Not being able to travel or do anything remotely interesting for what feels like decades, Sherlock’s decided to whisk John away for their fifth wedding anniversary. They haven’t celebrated much over the years, just a nice dinner followed by a classical concert. Sherlock always decides where to dine, while John picks the concert. It’s a win-win situation.

***

Sherlock’s sits at the desk when John comes home.

“Ah, John! Just the one,” Sherlock exclaims.

“Hello, gorgeous,” John smiles and kisses the top of Sherlock’s head.

Sherlock makes room for John to climb onto his lap for a proper snog.

“What are you up to?” John asks, a bit breathless.

“A surprise. Can you take some days off the week after next? Say Monday until Thursday,” Sherlock inquires.

“A surprise, eh? Well, I’ve worked up some goodwill I think, so that should be fine,” John says, massaging Sherlock’s scalp.

Sherlock closes his eyes and purrs with delight.

“Sounds like a jaguar again,” John murmurs and sucks at Sherlock’s bottom lip, which elicits another purr.

John sits back a little, stroking Sherlock’s shoulders and down his arms.

“So, my beautiful husband. Does this surprise has anything to do with our wedding anniversary?”

“My clever husband,” Sherlock smirks.

“Can I decide anything, or is it only you this year?” John inquires.

“Only me. For now,” Sherlock states lazily, reaches out for John and pulls him in for a deep kiss.

***

Despite the tediousness of the last week, it’s all worth it when John realises they’re going on a private plane. Working for Mycroft on occasion has its benefits, Sherlock admits. 

“Gosh, this really is a lovely way to travel,” John sighs contended and reaches out for Sherlock’s hand.

“Indeed,” Sherlock agrees. 

“Are you going to tell me where your taking me, then?” John asks, lacing his fingers with Sherlock’s.

“It has many names. The city of clichés. The city of love. The most romantic city in the world, cover most of it, I think.”

“Are you serious? We’re going to Paris?”

John beams at Sherlock and Sherlock can’t resist the urge to lean in and kiss John softly.

“We are,” he whispers in John’s ear. “I’ve…um…borrowed Mycroft’s card when I made the hotel reservation. Hôtel de l´Abbaye in Saint-Germain-Des-Prés. It’s a suite, obviously, two floors with a balcony overseeing the famous green garden. Looks quite promising on the web site.”

“You are amazing,” John breathes and cups Sherlock’s face, tracing both thumbs over his cheekbones.

Sherlock leans into John’s touch when John moves his hands to pull Sherlock’s hair just the way he loves it. He moans and closes his eyes.

“My marvellous John,” he murmurs.

***

A black car waits on the tarmac. As they descend the stairs from the plane, a chauffeur emerges in full uniform.

“Bonsoir, messieurs,” the man greets them.

John knows Sherlock’s fluent in French, and John knows a few phrases himself, but he’s never got the pronunciation quite right. He’ll lean on Sherlock for that. Besides, he loves hearing Sherlock speaking foreign languages, French in particular.

They sit like besotted teenagers in the back seat of the car, fingers interlaced, thighs pressing against the other, alternately looking out the windows and exchanging soft kisses.

Once they arrive at the hotel, John’s a bit dazed. It’s almost like he’s participating in a romantic film. Sherlock behaves like a proper Frenchman, with gesturing hands, flawless language, bespoke suit and  grace like a dancer. John just stares at him with awe. It’s similar to his behaviour at crime scenes, but also completely different. There’s no one who calls him names or glares at him with contempt.

The photos from the web site didn’t lie. Their suite’s exquisite and luxurious. John walks around to survey the spacious room.

“I’ve ordered room service,” Sherlock calls from downstairs.

“Perfect,” John retorts and opens the door to the balcony.

The temperature is still quite comfortable, and the air smells of lavender. John sighs happily and startles a bit when familiar arms caress him.

“I didn’t mean to spook you, John,” Sherlock says quietly and kisses his temple.

“It’s fine, love. I was just a bit lost in thought. This is…er…I…”

John turns in Sherlock’s arms and looks at him with shiny eyes. Sherlock cocks an eyebrow at him, silently asking if everything’s all right.

“Got a bit overwhelmed,” John says sheepishly. “I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, you know. You making my dream come through just hit me, and this beautiful place is perfect. Being here with you is perfect. Thank you.”

Their lips meet and John whimpers desperate, grabbing Sherlock’s plush arse while sucking at his bottom lip, then moving his lips to the long neck. 

“How much time do we have before the food arrives,” John asks hoarsely.

“Enough,” Sherlock pants and pulls John tighter.

***

They have breakfast on the balcony. The morning is warm, and it’s partly clouded. A perfect day for exploring the city.

To John’s surprise Sherlock concurs to take a trip with a double decker bus. John wants to see all the famous sites but doesn’t want to spend all day walking long distances or taking the metro. They sit in the back at the top of the bus, which is only half full. Between sites, Sherlock deduces the other passengers to John’s amusement.

A few metres from the bus stop, a familiar car waits for them. John sends Sherlock a quizzical look.

“Patience,” Sherlock mutters, grabs John’s hand and steers him toward the car.

The chauffeur, Antoine, clearly knows where they’re headed. John’s too happy to bother pestering Sherlock about their destination. Instead he leans his head against Sherlock’s shoulder. Sherlock puts an arm around him, and they sit in companionable silence until the car stops.

Sherlock leaps out of the car and heads for the boot. He hands a large blanket to John and takes a picnic basket from Antoine. 

“Merci beaucoup,” Sherlock says and gestures for John to walk into the park.

Square de Batignolles is a peaceful oasis. They find a secluded space in the shadows. John spreads out the blanket on the lawn and Sherlock opens the basket, which is filled to the brim with delicacies. Different cheeses, cured meat, baguettes, marmalade, croissants, fruit, a bottle of red wine, glasses and two pieces of cake. 

They lie down when they’ve devoured the food, and John props himself up on an elbow, looking down at Sherlock.

“You’re eyes are so green today,” John says. 

“Just mirroring the leaves above us, John,” Sherlock explains.

“Nope. They’ve been like that all day,” John retorts stubbornly.

“Well, I’ll have to take you to “Le Train Bleu” tonight just to prove you wrong then,” Sherlock teases.

He reaches for John’s hand and kisses the palm tenderly.

“Happy Anniversary, John.”

“Happy Anniversary, my love,” John says, lifts Sherlock’s hand to his mouth and mirrors Sherlock’s act.  

On this date 24 years ago I got married, so it had to be a wedding anniversary for the boys as well.

@notjustamumj @totallysilvergirl @missdeliadili @topsyturvy-turtely @meetinginsamarra

[fizzymilkcan]

I’ve been. Listening to the fifth anniversary concert while drawing can you tell

[jackiequick]

Marvel — Singers OC 🎼

-> -> -> I was listening to music a lot while looking over my old OC Tyler Sharp and decided why not ;)

-> Disclaimer! I don’t own the anything like the songs mentioned, artist mentioned here are just ideas and I’ve haven’t been in contact with anyone related to this post such as Sony Music. It was just a fun idea I had.

Ana B 🎼

Full Name: Ariana Sandra De Baillo

Nicknames: Ari, Ana, De Baillo, Princesses of pop, Sandy, Dra

Birthday: June 25th

Age: 25

Height: 5’1

Place of Origin: Brooklyn, New York but grew up around Washington Heights

Currently located: Los Angeles and on occasion Florida.

Specie: Half Human aka Mutant

Abilities: Sonic Screams. She can emit a highly enhanced scream of a high amplitudes. She also has the ability to vibrate her vocal chords at will.

Occupation: Singer and dance. And on occasion a bit of a small vigilante which causes her to be late to concerts and rehearsal sessions.

Type of music she likes to dabble into making: Pop, Latin Pop, R&B, Hip Hip, Rap and some acoustic.

Awards Won so far: Latin America Billboard Awards, Kids Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards & Premios Juventud Awards

—

Arianna grew up in the lower east side of Brooklyn to a Ecuador & Mexican mother and Colombian father who always made sure that she was loved. Even if they didn’t have much, her parents made sure she had a roof over her head, food, clothes, and money for a education in New York.

In very late high school, she discovered her love for music and dance (it was given in her culture but still) Ari became in love with it. Listening to music from artists like Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Selena, Shakira and plenty of others. Singing, dancing, rapping and creating music videos using her phone or a actual camera.

—> She would practice dancing in her bedroom, creating videos and then later on uploading them onto YouTube. Especially her covers of songs and funny skits she would make with friends. Eventually a record label (Sony Music), reached out to her and help her start crafting her own.

First songs being The Way, Ready or Not & Hurricane. Being her popular ones too!

During this period of time, Ariana started singing and rapping more instead of just dancing. It was great until one day her voice was really sorely used and decided to rest her vocal chords. Soon enough she got a little cocky and frustrated waiting so long, as she decided to try to sing in her room instead. Screaming out the lyrics, resulting in her vocal chords to ring and a bounce of a quaking strength released, causing her desk to stumble back a little few feet away from her.

“Oh my..d-did i just do that?” She questioned, curiosity took over and she tried again.

It was captivating how powerful it seemed, also it was a small soft advantage to her singing. Ariana wouldn’t admit it, but she feared this power. Wondering how this would effect her career and life in general. It took her months to control it, there was a few accidents and even her manger found out one day, but she pulled though.

—-

Flash forwarded to a few years later, Ana B was singing and dancing on stages, for her own performances and other artists. Performing frontline for Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Cher Lloyd and backup dancing for Fifth Harmony performance for Grammy Awards 2014.

Even being featured in Cher Lloyds songs as well. Due to her mother’s encouragement, Ariana decided to dabble into Latin Pop as well. Her Hispanic roots. Adding a mix of Latin Pop and a bit more R&B into her songs

—> Which resulted in her to featured in Reggaetón Lento with CNCO and Little Mix, create Downtown with J Balvin, and a couple of others. Those are just to name a few. It resulted in her expanding her reach in the music and tv appearance on shows every once in a while.

——

It was going great until one dark cloudy while visiting Los Angels after chilling at the corner store she heard screams and yelling loudly from a alleyway running to help wearing her black hoodie, just all black in general due to leaving rehearsals a hour earlier.

A two girls were being robbed of their money, Ariana couldn’t stands for it and started to try and fight the robbers. The two girls were trying to fight them too.

One caught her by the wrist and held her backwards, Ariana was pissed off and narrowed her eyes a scream piercing scream filled up a sound attack sending both men to fly backward onto the brick wall. Slamming their heads against the wall, knocked out cold. She didn’t mean to do that, it was a scream of panic and anger.

It shocked Ariana as she turned to the girls, “A-are you okay?”

“Y-yeah..h-how did you do that?” One of them asked, grabbing their purse.

“I um..i just screamed, i guessed.” She replied, trying to cover up what happened.

The other one recognized her and gasp, “Y-your—you’re Ana B!”

Ariana smiled sheepishly and nodded, “..y-yeah i am..you girls should go home. We all should!”

The both girls nodded and gushed realizing that this artist saved their lives. They called the cops and went home. However Ariana spent those next few day rethinking that captivating scream and how she saved those girls. She smiled, it felt good. Real good. It took a few days to quietly decide but Ariana decided to used her gift and saved a few others every once in a while. But since Ariana wasn’t trained or anything, she wasn’t the best low crime fighter, at least she tried..

She took up a bit of boxing and stuff to help with fight. A few short self defense posts and it helps her moves on stage, a lot. Sometimes Ariana would be late to rehearsal dressed in a black outfit afterwards. For example…

At start of a small bank robbery downtown, a few men dressed in grey and black suit came running in. There were guns and shouting, when she sneaked into the place. Everything was fine as she pretended to be one of others until a robber grabbed her grab and smirked, “Oh, not so fast, sweetheart.”

She groaned, using her shoulder to elbow him in the chest, “Don’t grab women, sweetheart.”

Her and one of robbers started to dance, twirling, kicking and spinning around the room. Ariana was thrown across the room, her back landing on a desk near a receptionist as she yelled with her vibrating vocals chords, “Get the cops online..p-please.” The women nodded, doing as told.

Ariana was slammed into a wall, she sighed, “Now I know how The Avengers feel..this hurts.” She glances at the clock, as her eyes widened in shock, 1:23pm, she was going to be late to the studio. Better make this quick.

Taking a deep breath and narrowing her eyes towards the robbers. Like singing loudly into a microphone, Ariana lowering her mask closed her eyes shut as a scream ripped off at a medium amplitude modulation knocking off both men. They stumbled back, holding their ears and full lose balance. The cop sirens went off and Ariana nodded at the receptionist putting a finger over lips, that were covered again by the mask, then ran out.

She arrived 5 minutes late, not the worse thing. If one had to be honest, the girl tend to always be a tad late depending on what day it was. Her manger Naya, rushed her off to get ready asking if she was alright seeing how she looked a little bruised. Ariana smiled, getting an ice pack for her aches and Advil for her pains. Naya was like a big sister to her, making sure she was okay and healthy, however she always wondered what her client was up to when she’s not around.

-> Her street outfits

-> Causal Outfits

—-

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to like, comment and share ;)

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @mandylove1000 @morgan108 @drspencereidhotch @gcthvile @superspookyjanelle @msrochelleromanofffelton @sherloquestea @rooster-84 @meiramel @halesfavoriteharlot @fototingobug @daughter-of-melpomene @blueboirick and etc

[snevans-is-my-life-source-always]

I’ve had this idea for a while now and have been elaborating on it: What if Hogwarts had a band of students (mostly Muggleborns) that grew up in the Muggle World that played the music of the Muggles? This post will go completely in-depth on this idea with the full history of the band.

What do they call themselves? The Warlocks. Simple as that.

How many people are in The Warlocks? Seven. Always seven. The Warlocks have been seven people almost the entirety of its existence.

Who can join The Warlocks? The Warlocks have some qualifications if one wants to join. Here they are:

Must have spent their time growing up in the Muggle World.

Must have good musical skill

Must be a first year (I’ll explain this in a bit)

Once they find someone with the qualifications, the hopeful new recruits audition in front of the rest of the band members. The band members take time to choose the new Warlock, and then rehearsal starts.

But why does the new member have to be a first year? When The Warlocks were first formed, they realized a problem very quickly, the band would be no more after only a few years. The Warlocks created a strategy: have one person from each year in the band. The new member replaces the one that graduated.

What instrument does each member play? Almost every member switches instruments through the years. It goes a little like this:

First year-any instrument needed (could be rhythm guitar, any string instrument, a second keyboard/synthesizer/piano, etc)

Second year-any instrument needed (could be rhythm guitar, any string instrument, a second keyboard/synthesizer/piano, etc)

Third year-bass guitarist

Fourth year-drummer

Fifth year-keyboardist/synthesist/pianist

Sixth year-lead guitarist

Seventh year-lead singer

What music do The Warlocks play? Anything already released in the Muggle World, especially the iconic songs. This includes YMCA, Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions, Cha Cha Slide, etc. The Warlocks are most known for their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

When do The Warlocks play? Initially it was created for them to play at the Yule Ball. Now, they play at any big event. Before Quidditch games, they hold concerts. At Quidditch afterparties, they play music there if the host wishes it. End of the school year, they play music.

When were The Warlocks first formed? 2001

(Now is time for an in-depth history of The Warlocks)

Who were the original members? Four close friends whose first year was the same as Harry’s seventh. The friends all grew up on the same street in a Muggle town, Willow Street, three happened to be Muggleborn, one was a Half-Blood raised by his witch mother. The friends’ names are Amos Brooks (Hufflepuff) (the Half-Blood), Jameson Everett (Slytherin), Arthur Stewart (Gryffindor), and Brianna Hathway (Ravenclaw).

Why were The Warlocks originally created? As the Battle of Hogwarts was the same year as their first year, the original Warlocks had to live through mass chaos in their beginning of Hogwarts. One of the only things that gave them comfort was the music that they listened to when they were at home. Sometimes, they would start singing their favorite songs acapella. Other wizards who grew up in the Muggle World would join in the singing, including older kids in their sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts. Those wizards would even start dancing. The wizards who grew up in the Wizarding World, meanwhile, were given a major culture shock, but were having a good time listening to them. Three years later, in their fourth year, they officially became The Warlocks. Amos was on bass, Arthur was on drums, Brianna was the lead guitarist, and Jameson was the lead singer. They also wanted to be the band that played during the 2004-2005 Triwizard Tournament Yule Ball.

Who are some other notable members besides the original ones? Morrigan Gardener was the first non-original Warlock and keyboardist/synthesist/keyboardist. She was a second year when the Warlocks first formed. Juliet Llewellyn was the first Warlock to be a part of the band for all seven years of Hogwarts. She joined in 2005 (after the Yule Ball of that year’s Triwizard Tournament). She went through the entire cycle of instruments. Kyle Hawkins was the first Pureblood to join the band in 2008. He was raised in the Muggle World because his parents were trying to remain anonymous after some shenanigans.

Where are the original Warlocks now? After they graduated from Hogwarts, the original Warlocks decided to recreate their band with just them. They called themselves The Sorcerers of Willow Street, named after the street they met and grew up on. They tour all around the world in various magical communities. They adore their fans and their fans adore them. Outside of their public life, Brianna and Amos started their own families. Rumors float around about Arthur and Jameson’s potential romantic chemistry, but no one will ever truly know the answer. Morrigan occasionally joins them on tour as the Non-Willownian Sorceress, but she is frequently busy with her chaotic home life and solo career.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this nonsense. If you really want to know more about these characters I am still developing and want some art, please let me know. I am going through a rough writer’s and art block, though, so it might take a little while, but I’ll probably be able to get to it.

[louisisalarrie]

Hello! The LATAM dates anon is me. Ahh sorry I gave you a bit of a chaotic ask! I’m not sure if LATAM really isn’t selling well - Lou’s Mexico dates look sold out - but I read stuff on Twitter via various fan accounts that made it seem as though sales in some countries were slow and they were really trying to drum up sales by giving tickets away etc. I also saw a couple of other tumblr blogs mentioning poor sales but I realise now these accounts are kind of ‘Louis hate accounts’ (urghh) and they’ll say anything to put him down.

I guess I just wondered if you’d read anything different about LATAM? I want it to be amazing for him. He’s such a gem and I really want him to do have great shows out there.

Can’t remember what other stuff I asked…but thank you for taking the time to respond! Xx

No don’t stress at all lovely!!! I appreciate the q’s, but they were different topics so just wanted to break them down xx

Alrighty, let’s look at LATAM ticket sales. Anon, welcome to the show.

Let’s look at some tickets available, capacities, and then I’ll chat more about venue modes and draping etc for some more context.

So, the best selling show in LATAM looks to be Arena VFG, in Guadalajara, Mexico. I’ve had a bit of a look online, and it looks like the show is entirely sold out. That has a capacity of 15,000 , and looks full concert mode, but that doesn’t mean he will have use of all 15,000. The capacity would prooooobably look more like 11,000 - 12,000ish, as an estimate. I haven’t been to the venue so I can’t be 100% on that, but they’re not selling 15,000 tickets to it. We’ll circle back to this later.

Then, his show at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, is a race track used for Formula 1 events, music festivals, and stuff like that. It’s said to have a capacity of 110,000, but of course would be a reduced mode due to the fact that well… that’s pretty impossible for any artist to sell out. Hell, TS’s biggest concert ever was 96,000 people at the MCG in Melbourne, Australia in 2024. Ed Sheeran did 109,500 people in one night at the MCG in 2023. Harry’s biggest show in Australia for LOT was 69,512 people at Accor Stadium in Sydney, which for both show nights, had a capacity of 70,170 people (the first night sold 66,791).

Louis’ show at Arena 1 in Lima, Peru, has a promotion on until the 15 Match 2024 for 25% off certain tickets (the promotion started on 2 November 2023). It can hold up to 16,000 people, and by the looks of it is mainly used for concerts, not sporting events. So they could be selling an amount of tickets that’s closer to their actual capacity, as opposed to the other venues. Again, I haven’t been to it so I can’t be sure. The discount on these tickets, however, is only for people using payments of “Credit, Debit, Business, and Working Capital Cards”. We see similar promos with other artists, such as MasterCard pre sales, American Express presales, etc., but I haven’t seen discounted tickets like this for other artists off the top of my head. However…

I looked at Louis’ 1st June 2022 show at Arena Peru Explanada in Lima, Peru, and according to Team Louis News on Twitter, it sold out. They said it has a capacity of 15,000 people, but again, doesn’t mean every seat was utilised, but it doesn’t look like it’s used for sport, so they could’ve gotten close. And, funnily enough, at this arena and show, there was a 15% discount if you paid with an Interbank Credit or Debit card.

A lot of stadiums are owned/sponsored by banks, or insurance companies, or these companies may have a large share of profit for the money they invest in it etc., and it’s a great way of advertising. Signing up for a bank for discounts of tickets at their venue(s)??? Yes please. So, you can see the appeal. And I can 100% guarantee you that this is a partnership and a condition of said bank investing in the stadium. A quick look at their other shows, every artist (Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony, Paramore etc.) has a special discount based on if they used that bank’s cards to pay for tickets. So it’s not “oh louis could NEVER sell enough tickets, he’s a flop” and whatever these losers say, it’s that certain arenas (clearly more prominent in LATAM) will have discounts on tickets due to the partnership with the bank that invests in them.

NOW

let’s circle back to capacities. this frustrates me to no end because people throw these numbers around all the time and it just… that’s just not how it works.

You can find a capacity of a venue pretty easily when you google said venue, and often people go “oh wow, this artist is playing a venue that holds 100,000 people!!!!” which is yeah, you’re right, that venue does hold 100,000 people, but that depends entirely on the mode, stage setup, and how big the artist is. Also, if it’s used as a sports stadium as well, it’s gonna hold a hell of a lot more people than a concert mode, because they can utilise every seat. You can’t just sit behind the stage at a concert, but you can sit anywhere during a football match. So that’s a major difference in ticket sales already.

If you’re someone like Harry, who has a big old T catwalk and a larger built out base/main stage, that’s gonna lower the capacity of the venue. So then they make more of it GA on the ground as opposed to seating, to make the capacity higher again. But he plays stadiums, which are used for sport, and so he’s not utilising the whole capacity as it is.

BUT Ed Sheeran did the thing.

At the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground, used for cricket and AFL etc.), Ed Sheeran sold sooooo many more tickets than TS, because he had a 360 rotating stage in the middle of the stadium. SUCH a good idea, but that doesn’t work for an artist like TS or Harry. They perform and run up and down cat walks and dance and flail about, Ed Sheeran doesn’t. So, yep, the stage setup can seriously affect the capacity.

Then, estimated ticket sales. Louis sold out his last time in Peru, at a different arena, but it’s pretty safe to say he’ll sell out this one too (hopefully). But, that arena last year might not have been utilised at 15,000. So it’s a bit of guess work too, and finding out what he sold last year (which is easy if the same promoter is hosting but idk I haven’t looked that deep in hahaha but I’d say it’s the same one still).

And when tickets go on sale, they’ll release a certain amount (obviously smaller amounts in pre sales to see how it’s selling), but the ticket website doesn’t tell you how many tickets are left. Why would they? That defeats the purpose of trying to tell people that they might miss out. If the website says there is 10,000 tickets left, you’ll wait til closer to the time to buy one because you’re not worried. But, that skews ticket sales and a show can be cancelled over that, which is happening a fair bit at the moment with ticket reselling websites that aren’t authorised by the venue. I can go into ticketing and ticket reselling further if you’d like but yeah… best we stay on topic.

So, if a show sells enough to at least make a small profit, but isnt sold out regardless of capacity size, the promoter will often put a thing called “drapes” over a certain amount of seating to the side of the stage. These are just big black curtains that cover those seats to make it look more full. It’s what you’d call a “reduced mode”. And, that’s also a way they can use bigger venues if an artist won’t quite sell it out, but they’re too big for a smaller scale show and either don’t wanna do a couple of nights in a row or the smaller venue is super booked out etc. And, artists can sell out a reduced mode, which is great PR for them.

Anyway, there are a million variables that happen with shows. But, capacity does not equal ticket sales, discounts at venues does not equal the size of the artist, and I’m sure Louis is gonna do great in LATAM. I’ve seen so many people excited!!!

Hope this helps/makes sense. Thanks anon!

[fantasyland96]

Sequel time! Sorry it's a bit of a behemoth

Time passes, and you start thinking. We’ve gotten close over the years. We spend more time with each other than any of our other friends. We go out alone to movies, concerts, lunch. I spend so much time at your apartment that one night, while I’m in your bed, cuddlefucking your cute little asshole (the most romantic kind of casual sex,) I float the idea of letting the lease lapse on my apartment and moving in with you.

I’ve never used the word “date” to refer to one of our outings, but…

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve forgotten to mention something important. And… well, it’s possible…

Are we dating? Did I simply forget to tell you, when I claimed your holes for mine, that I was claiming you as well? We haven’t had the conversation.

The more you think about the idea, the more you start to like it. The more a gentle warmth fills your belly when you think of calling yourself my girlfriend.

I don’t see your face fall when I bring your world crashing down. I’m fucking you doggy style when you finally scrounge up the courage to ask “So, what are we?” The word “what” is barely out of your mouth when I start speaking. After an awkward back and forth of “no you go first, no you,” I finally tell you my news

I’ve matched with a girl on Tinder, Rebecca, and it’s going well. I tell you how much of a crush I have on her already, and the date we have coming up on Saturday. How she’s clever and confident and funny and comfortable with the fact that my best friend is a woman. How much I think you’ll like her, if things go that far.

I ask casually if you’ve been putting any effort into finding a boyfriend. You’re oddly proud of the way you keep the tremble out of your voice when you tell me it’s just been on the back burner lately. How you manage to save the tears for later that night, locked in the bathroom while I sleep soundly in your bed. You haven’t sobbed like this in months, not since you got used to the new normal, your new position somewhere between friend and blow up doll.

What’s that? What were you going to ask? Oh, just what I wanted to have for dinner

Rebecca and I take things slow, relatively speaking. It’s about our fourth date before we start calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend, and after our fifth when I ask if you mind me bringing her over after our next date—I’m fully moved in with you at this point.

You mention that you don’t have anywhere else to go (this isn’t entirely true, we have plenty of mutual friends who would gladly put you up for the night, schedules permitting) but I hardly mind. If you wouldn’t mind taking the couch for the night, it would be a great opportunity for her to meet you.

You wrack your brain for an excuse, a reason she can’t possibly come over. The jealousy is difficult enough to deal with knowing I haven’t slept with her yet, without having met the wench taking my attention away from you. The thought of seeing her face in person, of hearing her moan my name in the next room… It’s unbearable.

But a good excuse doesn’t come to mind, not without admitting you’d rather sabotage my relationship.

So you agree

She’s pretty, is your first thought. Not prettier than you, objectively, though your insecurity tells you otherwise. Her eyes shine, bright and cheerful, and despite yourself her smile makes your heart flutter.

The conversation that night is engaging, and she’s outgoing and charismatic enough that, while the jealousy never fully fades, you’re able to more or less enjoy the evening despite yourself. You entertain her at the dining room table while I make a wonderful ham dinner for the three of us to share.

The first hint she has that something isn’t right is when time comes to go to bed, and you proceed to the couch. She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t ask, but the fact that I share an apartment with another woman that only has one bedroom and one bed doesn’t escape her notice.

You don’t sleep well that night. The couch is comfortable enough, but it isn’t your (our) bed, and though Rebecca and I try not to be too loud, we lose ourselves in the moment, and you can hear everything—the way we moan each others names, the way my hips slap against hers, every screaming orgasm after screaming orgasm.

Later, when she does the walk of shame to the bathroom wearing only a t-shirt and panties—god, you think, she has such beautiful legs—there’s a slightly haunted look in her eyes. She looks at you, questioning, and you look back. It isn’t the sex she wasn’t expecting, meeting her boyfriend at home for the first time, but you see in her (lovely, warm brown) eyes that something I did, whether a kink I engaged in or just the way I behaved, tipped her off to something disturbing about me. It’s possible she’s beginning to realize that her kind, caring, supportive boyfriend considers her consent a commodity rather than a necessity.

Her eyes ask you, woman to woman, if she’s in danger. You don’t know how to respond.

When she returns to bed, she sleeps soundly, thoroughly satisfied and sexually exhausted. Apparently, what was enough to wipe her out completely wasn’t enough to satisfy me. If the noise of me pounding your pussy mercilessly on the couch wakes her, she doesn’t come out to investigate.

You’re thoughtful the next morning, leaning over the kitchen counter as you sip a mug of coffee, your breakfast plate in the sink. Your feelings about Rebecca are mixed, but at least you can put a name to them—she isn’t the bad guy in this scenario, if anyone is. Jealousy hasn’t faded, but despite yourself, you like her. You get what I see in her, you really do.

But what about the rest of it? How do you feel about all this? How do you feel about me? Does it… does it matter how you feel, as long as you can keep my cock satisfied?

You hear the bedroom door open, and the unmistakable sound of my footsteps, my pissing with the bathroom door open. You don’t expect me to be quite so bold with my girlfriend over, at least not first thing in the morning when she’s more likely to be awake, but our morning routine is so ingrained at this point that it isn’t really a conscious action when you reach up your sleep shirt, pull off your panties, and toss them on the back of the nearest dining room chair.

You rarely wear pants around the house anymore. If anything covers your legs it’s a skirt or dress, and if you wear a top it’s a loose one with no bra. It’s just more convenient for both of us if I can just lift a skirt and have access to your lower holes, if I can just pop your tits out of your top when I want them.

I walk into the kitchen, naked as a jaybird, and you slide a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage and an empty coffee mug down the counter towards me.

“Good night?” You ask. I fill the mug from the fresh pot of coffee you’ve made, and I eat my breakfast there at the counter—while my other hand goes down to my cock, stroking myself to full mast.

“Hope we didn’t keep you up.” I certainly had a good time: I’m grinning ear to ear. You notice I’ve brought my regular bottle of lube with me. So I do intend to dump my morning load in you.

“You’re lucky it’s Saturday,” you grumble.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?

I finish my breakfast, lube up my cock, grab my coffee with my other and, and position myself behind you.

“I’ll think about it,” you say as my free hand guides my cock into your welcoming rapesleeve. “Aren’t you worried Rebecca will see?”

“See what?” I ask.

You shrug. If I’m not worried about it, you certainly don’t consider it your business. Rebecca’s feelings may be hurt, but it’s not as though you can really protect her from me without telling her everything. Besides, you’re my friend, not hers.

The sex, if you can really call it that, still isn’t very good. My interest in your pleasure is still an afterthought to consider after I’ve already cum—but I’ve gotten better at pacing my early thrusting to give your pussy more time to adjust. Or maybe your pussy has just gotten more used to my girth from my relentless pounding. Anyway, it doesn’t hurt anymore at least.

“Don’t get me wrong,” I continue as I thrust in and out of you, chasing my pleasure, “I’m really into this girl, but if she wants to get in the way of our friendship, she just isn’t the one for me.” Your heart flutters a bit as you hear that, and you smile into your coffee. “Hey, look at me,” I pull on your shoulder so that you twist your back and make eye contact with me. “You’re my best friend in the whole world. No matter how deep I get into dating, no matter how serious I get into any relationship, nothing is going to change that.”

“Thank you,” you say. “I know, I know all that, but it’s nice to hear anyway.”

I kiss your forehead, tenderly, and when I pull away I begin fucking you in earnest. If Rebecca is awake, there’s no way she doesn’t hear the clapping of my hips against your ass.

“Hey!” I say, “Did you sleep well?”

You follow my eyes, and see Rebecca standing in the entryway to the kitchen, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. You imagine you must have had a similar look on your face the first time I raped tou.

She stands stock still, stunned. Her loving, caring, supportive boyfriend, fucking another woman right in front of her, acting like she’s walked in on him playing monopoly or cooking dinner. I write her flat affect off as a case of the mornings. I did keep her up late last night, after all.

You slide her a plate of breakfast and an empty mug.

“All yours,” you tell her. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee next to the microwave, help yourself. I’ve been up for a bit, so the eggs may have gotten a bit cold, but they should still be good.”

“Isn’t she sweet?” I say, giving your ass an affectionate pat.

How does a person respond to a situation like this? Rebecca doesn’t know. She certainly wasn’t expecting it, even if the only thing left preventing her from realizing I was fucking you was blatant denial

She fills the mug, brings it and the plate to the table, and sits to eat.

Despite yourself, you feel a bit smug. You know Rebecca doesn’t deserve any ill will, but still it feels good to think you’ve put her in her place. She may have the coveted title of girlfriend, but you are mine first, always and forever.

You squeeze my cock with your pussy in the way that you know I like, and I reward you with a sharp gasp and quick shove of my hips as I drop my load as deep in you as I can.

When I recover, as my breathing begins to turn to normal, I lean forward and hug you from the back. I speak softly, not quite a whisper, directly into your ear. What I say is only for you, but I’m not trying to prevent Rebecca from hearing it.

“Thanks. I’ll get you back later.” I pat your ass gently again, almost the way an adult might pat the top of a little girl’s head, and then pull out of you without ceremony.

This is the first time I’ve used your body without offering you an orgasm right after mine. You never take me up on it in the morning, as you’re usually just trying to get it over with to get on with your day, but it doesn’t sit right with you that I didn’t at least ask.

It makes sense, of course, with my girlfriend visiting I have to turn my attention back to her. I stand behind her, lean forward, and wrap my arms around her in a tight hug.

“How’s your morning going?”

She doesn’t say anything as she finishes the last bites of her breakfast. Then, softly, gently, voice trembling with a mix of emotions, she asks:

“What was that?”

“What was what?” I ask

“You were just… you were just having sex with Missy right in front of me.”

“Oh, that!” I smile, the expression of someone certain they’re about to clear up a humorous misunderstanding. “We don’t like, have sex. I just use her holes to get off sometimes. I return the favor when she asks, sure, I don’t want to be rude, but… it’s nothing to worry about. It’s like, she’s my best friend, so I let her hang on to my fleshlight, and I just keep it between her legs.”

When I say that, her eyes meet your pussy directly. You can feel my cum dripping down your thighs.

Her eyes follow it.

“So you’re like, friends with benefits?”

“Not really,” you say. “I mean, he benefits.”

“That makes you what then, his rapeslave?”

The thought hits you like wiffle bat—painless, but very, very noticeable. The feeling you used to have when you thought of calling yourself my girlfriend comes back, but stronger, more warm, more comfortable, more euphoric. A sense of purpose, belonging and identity like you’ve never felt before fills you like my fat cock.

You smile, ear to ear, and take a sip of your coffee to try and hide your blush. It doesn’t work. My rapesalve. You’ve never been so proud

“God, no!” I say, deeply hurt. “I’d never rape anyone, especially not Missy!”

Behind my back, you nod at her, and mouth the word “exactly.”

Your beaming smile while you do gives her a lot to think about.

When I think this “humorous misunderstanding” is fully resolved, I slip under the table and slide Rebecca’s crotch to the edge of the seat, pulling her panties down to her ankles. Still deep in a storm of emotions, she’s too shocked by my continued boldness to object. She makes desperate eye contact with you as I start eating her pussy, begging you for guidance, for help.

The guidance you have to offer is to relax and accept it—my lust is not a human emotion that can be calmed, my sex not a human decision that can be changed, but a force of nature that can only be endured until it passes. So you pour yourself another mug of coffee and settle in to watch.

You’ve finished your mug, gone to the bathroom, come back, and started another, when Rebecca finally cums despite herself. She has a beautiful O face, you think, and her moans and groans of orgasm are like music. You wish you were the one I was eating out, thinking about the power of my tongue to make a woman cum so hard while I raped her.

After that, I decide she’s wet and relaxed enough for a pounding, so I pick her up, set her ass on the kitchen table, hug her tightly and begin to fuck her wet pussy.

Over my shoulder, she looks at you, pleading. Woman to woman, is she safe?

You give her a gentle expression. There’s some reassurance in it—I’m not going to disembowel her, at least not unless you’re as crazy as I am.

“Wrap your legs around his back,” you tell her, guiding her feet into position with your hands, “and squeeze down on him with your pussy. He likes that.”

I’m grateful—I think you’re telling her how to please me. She’s grateful—she knows you’re telling me how to get it over with faster.

You go off to shower.

You come back, one towel wrapped around your body and another wrapped around your hair, maybe ten minutes before I finally, mercifully, finish inside Rebecca. Her shirt has fallen to the floor while you’ve been gone, and her chest is as captivating as you might have expected. I smile and give her a heartfelt, romantic kiss that she returns in the way of a woman who knows her “no” means nothing dealing with a man who can only be placated, not reasoned with.

Aftercare is something I’ve heard of vaguely in passing, and have been meaning to google for years. So having finished, I pull out, kiss her forehead, and leave to take my own shower.

Rebecca is silent. She doesn’t cover herself or go for her clothes. She simple slides off of the table and into the chair. She looks down for a few moments, then up at you.

“Is he… always like this? Is this… like, the real him?”

You think about it for a moment.

“It’s not quite that simple. He’s… It’s all the real him. The guy who writes down what you tell him you’d like for your birthday or Christmas and surprises you with it later? That’s him. The guy who helps you meet your exercise and creative goals? That’s him. The guy who drops everything at a moment’s notice to pick you up off the side of the road, or to comfort you when your hamster dies? That’s him. The guy who honestly can’t understand why warming his cock with your cunt while he comforts you would make his comfort seem less sincere? That’s him too. The guy who thinks consent is when he puts his dick in your mouth and you don’t bite it off? That’s him too. It’s one unified self. I think…

“When I got used to him using me whenever he wanted, when I stopped sobbing in the bathroom later and wondering how he became such a monster and realized that this was just the way things are now, I started turning the tables on him. When I’d normally pull out my dildo or vibe, I walked up to him and pulled out his cock instead.

“He was ecstatic.

“I think he really can’t conceive of the idea of turning someone down who wanted his dick. Like, the idea to him is like if someone told you they were Superman in real life. Just completely unbelievable.

“So he kind of applies that logic to everyone. He’d never be mad or sad or scared that somebody wanted to use his dick, so why would somebody else feel differently about their cunt?”

“So… If I like him. If I want everything else that comes with being in a relationship with him… I just have to deal with him raping me every time he has a boner?”

Now, finally, thank god, it’s her you have a reason to be mad at.

“Every time?” You glare at her. You tear your towel off and step towards her, menacingly. You grab her hand and place it on your pussy, pressing her fingers between your folds. “His fuckhole is right here. You may be his girlfriend, you may get have sex with him, but his rapeslave is ME. He’s not going to stop fucking me any time soon.”

You hold her wrist in an iron grip as you walk over to the couch, sit down, and pull her down next to you. Shifting you grip, you force her two fingers out and press them against your clit, gently rubbing it with them.

You release her hand, and grab her face, looking her dead in the eyes.

“Get to work,” you snarl.

When I come back out, I come over and wrap you both in a big hug, leaving Rebecca plenty of space to “work.”

“Can I just say I’m so glad you two are getting along so well?” I address her directly. “I was so worried you were going to be weird about my best friend being another woman, I’m so glad to see you two actually like each other.”

Something about the whole situation, you realize as her fingers begin to speed up, as she begins to apply more pressure, as your pleasure builds and builds and builds and… and… AND!

As you ride wave after wave of climactic pleasure, as she watches your face for each slight change and adjusts her ministrations accordingly, it clicks into place. You don’t have the power in this situation anymore. You’ve got no weapon, no way to keep her going, much less to make her go out of her way to make it better for you

It’s when she goes on another date with me that confirms your suspicion, and you aren’t surprised when she comes home with me again.

It took you weeks, months, to fully adjust to the rapeslave life. She’s all in right away. She wants it like she’s never wanted anything before.

Your place in our relationship isn’t something that can really be put to words, at least not in traditional relationship status terms. You’re not my other girlfriend, and we aren’t a polyfidel triad or other nonmonogamous relationship type.

But when she and I start shopping for our first apartment together, I remind her that we need either two bedrooms, or one large enough for two beds. When she raises an eyebrow at me I ask where you’re going to sleep, and she feels silly for not thinking of the fact that you’d be moving with us. This conversation happens in front of you, and it’s also how you learn you’ll be moving. You knew you were going to follow me wherever I go, of course, but it feels good to know that I know.

When Rebecca and I get married, you’re my best man and her maid of honor. We don’t touch you on the wedding night, but of course you’re there in the room with us, and you wake up to me fucking you the next morning.

When we buy our first house, no one discusses the fact that you’re coming too, because this time it doesn’t have to be said. You pack your belongings as the closing date comes up, and come with us on moving day.

When Rebecca announces her pregnancy with my first child, you tell me that you’re going off your birth control, and that I’ll have to use condoms or else knock you up. We’re both surprised by this—I didn’t think you wanted kids, and if you’re being honest, you didn’t until that very moment. But as much as Rebecca has become dear to you, you still can’t be outdone by her. If she’s giving me a baby, then god dammit so are you. And we both know I’m not about to start using condoms

Nine months later, Rebecca and I have a son. Four months after that, you give me twins.

I’m a loving husband, and a good friend, so of course after the births I deprive myself of your pussies until the doctor says you’re fully healed. Your throats and your assholes have never been so contentedly sore.

Rebecca and I don’t bring you with us on date nights, but we do make sure you get time away from the kids too. And we make sure we have outings of our own—the three of us, me and you, you and her.

We even get to do other things when I’m done fucking you.

That’s a long one for sure…but I like it.

[booskwan]

i understand to an extent companies booking a lot of schedules after restrictions were lifted because of the money it brings in and of course fans have missed seeing idols perform and i’m sure idols have missed performing outside of music shows/domestic concerts HOWEVER. it’s been like two years since restrictions lifted and everyone started touring again so i don’t even understand the want or even financial need to do back to back to back schedules, especially for groups that maybe were smaller before the pandemic but definitely aren’t now like ateez (meaning i know smaller companies/groups will have more schedules to increase the amount of people that know about them). furthermore when “fans” defend these packed schedules it just goes to show how both the industry and the people that follow them only see idols as products. companies treat them like machines that can do however much management wants them to, and a lot of fans eat it up with no critical thinking of hey? these are human beings and this schedule must be exhausting at the least. we have idols being injured left and right, not being allowed the proper time to heal. members of several groups leaving or going on health related hiatuses. and in my experience very few people realize the people they follow and consume content of are being insanely overworked with schedules they don’t even need to be doing. while i’m grateful i have so many opportunities to see groups up close like the bouncy challenge event last wednesday, and i know it wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t already in la, ateez does not need to be going to kcon in the middle of a tour. a tour that STARTED almost a year ago. and now they’re teasing something for 2024-2025??? and jongho just got his fifth consecutive injury??? i’ve run out of coherent thoughts but hopefully y’all can understand what i’m saying lmao