Becky Hill has hit back at a booing crowd during her surprise festival set as she addressed a viral videoCredit: InstagramThe pop star, 32, was savagely booed at the weekend after she vowed to play only new songs at her secret set at TRNSMTCredit: Unknown
Speaking about the viral video that showed the crowd, she has now said: “Getting booed is not nice.
“I haven’t found a single one of these easy, it’s really upsetting.
“Because I love this job and that’s not making me love it as much as I usually do.”
Speaking directly to the camera she added: “I wanted to bring a new and exclusive thirty minute set of brand new music to a festival crowd unannouced.
Becky said getting booed was not nice and that it was upsettingCredit: InstagramShe wanted to bring a new and exclusive thirty minute set of brand new music to a festival crowdCredit: Michael SchofieldHowever the crowd wanted to hear her hitsCredit: GettyBecky explained she was not a jukebox and needed to create new songsCredit: Getty
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to play the new music I’ve been working so hard on.
“And I personally love so much.”
She then thanked the team at the festival for giving her that stage and also the crowd of people who you stayed and danced with her right until the very end.
She added: “It was amazing to have such a captive audience who wanted to hear the new stuff too.
“I said on stage how difficult it is to transition into a new single, and new music and new albums.
“And all this conversation online is exactly what I meant.
“I’m not a jukebox, I’m an artist and the tickets at TRNSMT were not sold with my name as part of the line-up.
“And I wanted to do something new, artistically driven.”
Becky explained that she doesn’t normally get the opportunity to do that much in her career.
She added: “But trust me when my name is on the poster I will always sing the tunes that people know and love.”
“I feel really grateful to have those records in my catalogue,” she explained.
The singer concluded that in order to have a long career she needed to have new music and thanked those that stayed to listen to her.
The pop star has no shortage of hits to choose from, with 19 top 40 singles, six top 10s and a number one to her name.
But on the streets of L.A. over the last week, something very different has happened.
Fans from a kaleidoscope of cultural backgrounds have come together to act out the kind of world — and city — they want to live in.
On the shuttle bus from downtown to Inglewood on Monday, there were scores of people with Farsi-emblazoned shirts and crowds of grinning Kiwis as one would expect for the Iran-versus-New Zealand showdown that evening. However, there were also clusters of striped blue Argentina T-shirts, plenty of Team USA jerseys, and a loud group of fans chanting “Viva Mexico” from the back of the bus.
The mood was joyful before Monday’s match among fans of Iran’s national team. The players, because of restrictions by the Trump administration, have had to commute to the games from Tijuana.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Similar scenes played out on the Metro K Line as World Cup-goers from all over traded stories of how they scored tickets, tips for navigating L.A.’s transit system, and wistful memories of tournaments past.
“This festival is about unity and bringing the whole world together; there are 48 nations and everybody is having a good time,” said Ardy Salem, an Iranian American dentist who traveled from the Bay Area to attend the game, as he surveyed the crowd outside SoFi Stadium on Monday with unabashed glee.
“Just for a moment,” he said, “we get to leave all the politics behind.”
David Leon, 32, of Watts was grinning from ear to ear as he stood outside the stadium entrance in his forest-green Mexico jersey, despite the fact that he initially didn’t support having the World Cup in Los Angeles.
“I thought it was going to be a big issue for a bunch of different people to come here,” Leon said.
Fans of New Zealand show their support as they perform the haka, a traditional Maori dance and chant, at Monday’s match.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Leon worried that people from other countries would be turned off by American politics and fearful about traveling to the U.S.
“It really does bring people together from all these different ethnicities,” Leon said, looking at the lines of people waiting to get into the stadium. “I’ve seen Colombians, I’ve seen Mexicans, people from New Zealand, people from Iran, Germans, Spaniards.”
And for his own community of Mexican Americans, he said the matches had brought a much-needed infusion of joy. This time last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were roiling Los Angeles, instilling fear throughout immigrant households.
Fans of Mexico are on hand at Monday’s match at SoFi Stadium. Before the World Cup, there were widespread fears of ICE presence at the games.
(Kelvin Kuo/Los Angeles Times)
Just last month, about 2,000 SoFi Stadium workers threatened to strike if they didn’t receive assurance that immigration agents would be kept out of the venue during the World Cup.
Leon said he was definitely worried that ICE would take advantage of crowds gathering for the matches to perform further immigration enforcement.
But, so far, that has not been the case. Instead, many people in his hometown of Watts have been consumed with “World Cup fever,” calling out of work to attend watch parties at local bars and walking down the streets with eyes glued to a livestream of a game on a phone, he said.
While joy was the overriding mood among soccer fans gathered in Inglewood on Monday, the day was not entirely free of tension or pangs of grief for the people who were missing out on the fun.
James Carling, 63, of Ventura said it pains him to know that many fans from countries such as Iran, Haiti and Senegal are unable to attend the matches because of the Trump administration’s travel restrictions.
“Let’s face it, our government hasn’t made it easy for people to visit us, which is a shame,” he said outside the stadium. “There were people from countries whose teams made it [to the World Cup] who were not allowed to come and, sorry, that’s wrong.”
The shadow of the U.S. war with Iran and the anger many Iranian Americans feel over Iran’s current government were also present in Inglewood on Monday. Outside the stadium, some Iranian soccer fans had heated encounters with protesters who felt that supporting the Iranian national team was synonymous with supporting an oppressive regime.
Yet the atmosphere among the Iranians attending Monday night’s game was one of cathartic celebration, where for a few hours they could set aside geopolitical tensions and unite over the simple love of soccer.
In the stadium parking lot, David Arias, a Mexican American resident of Inglewood, gave a fist bump to Kam Pirouz, an Iranian fan who had traveled from Washington, D.C., to see the game.
Mexico and Iran are “homies right now,” Arias said, referencing the fact that the Iranian players are commuting to the Los Angeles games from Tijuana because of restrictions placed on them by the Trump administration.
Fans watch the World Cup group stage match between Iran and New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on Monday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Although Arias did not have tickets to the match, he said he could not resist the chance to meet people from all over the world. So he decided to take his local barbershop to the parking lot outside the stadium and offer free haircuts to fans.
With an hour to go before Monday night’s game, all three seats at his pop-up shop were occupied; Pirouz, the Iranian fan, was getting a fresh fade while seated next to a Mormon missionary from Utah and an Egyptian fan.
“It’s the World Cup, man, the entire world comes together, and it’s beautiful,” Pirouz said mid-haircut. “Best sport in the world.”
Times staff writer Seamus Bozeman contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn, hulking marble statue of America’s 16th president and jogged down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn to the unusual sporting weekend marking the nation’s 250th anniversary and President Trump’s 80th birthday.
The news conference Friday night featured the fighters who are preparing to face off Sunday in the Octagon built outside the White House. But it was also a chance to see the UFC fans who have thronged to Washington and endured lightning, humidity and bugs.
Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, N.C., with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian Ilia Topuria.
“You will hear an eagle screaming when Justin Gaethje wins,” the elder Philbeck said with a chuckle.
David Halstead journeyed from Albany, Australia, to watch the sport he has loved for a decade. Halstead said Trump, who regularly attends the fights, “put UFC on the map.”
The UFC has said it spent $60 million on this weekend’s festivities, and the president has billed his birthday fete as “the greatest show on Earth.”
Not everyone agrees.
The Public Integrity Project described the event as a “private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain” in a lawsuit the watchdog group filed to try to stop it from happening on federal land. A federal judge ruled Friday that the White House was allowed to go ahead.
About 1 in 10 U.S. adults consider themselves mixed martial arts fans, according to Ipsos Sports polling conducted in February and March. That survey suggests MMA fans tend to be male and nonwhite. They are more likely to identify as Republicans than Democrats.
“One misconception is that everyone who watches UFC is a Trump supporter, but that’s not the case,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, 24, explaining that he loves the physicality of the sport. “People also expect a knockout every time.”
Ellie Louizes, who practices Muay Thai, or Thai kickboxing, and jujitsu martial arts, drove from Daytona Beach, Fla., with her boyfriend, Jacob Purvis.
Female fans of MMA are the minority. But Louizes said she knows a lot of women who get into watching the sport through their male partners. She said “female fighters are often way more aggressive” than the men.
Fans brushed off criticism
The fans at the Lincoln Memorial brushed off criticism about the bouts being held at the White House — on federal grounds owned not by its occupant, but by the American people.
Holding fights at the “people’s house,” Tracy Philbeck said, “goes back to the days of Teddy Roosevelt.”
President Theodore Roosevelt regularly held sparring sessions at the White House, though they were not formal, public prizefights. He was an enthusiastic amateur boxer who had boxed at Harvard and continued the sport throughout much of his life.
Boxing fans also make up a large part of the UFC’s fan base.
At a UFC-sponsored community event this week at the District of Columbia’s Midtown Youth Academy, the boxing gym’s executive director was helping out with a visit from UFC fighter Randy Brown, who sparred with more than a dozen local teenagers and preteens.
Gloria Lee said meeting the fighter was a big deal for kids at her gym. “It’s just been a thrilling week, and I was about to fall out when he came in the door!” she said.
Asked about her personal UFC fandom, Lee said she had not watched it much. But by the end of Brown’s visit, she got into the ring with the professional fighter and threw some slugs of her own.
Hussein writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.
MEXICO CITY — FIFA president Gianni Infantino described Mexico City Stadium as a venue “blessed by the gods” and a “true cathedral of soccer.”
Azteca Stadium, as most people know it, is steeped in soccer history and is now the only venue to host three World Cup opening ceremonies. But the Mexican national team had never much World Cup success at the venue.
On Thursday, spurred on by most of the 80,824 fans in attendance and forwards Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, Mexico managed to defeat South Africa 2-0 and securing its first opening match victory.
Mexico opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Quiñones capitalized on a defensive error by South Africa and fired a shot down the middle, between the legs of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. The striker, a top scorer in the Saudi Pro League, immediately ran off to celebrate with the bench, marking the first goal of the tournament. The crowd responded by throwing beer into the air.
Mexico continued to press with numerous chances in the first half, including another shot by Quiñones that hit the post and another great save by Williams, who was South Africa’s best player.
“We were far superior in the first half; we could have been up 3-0,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.
South Africa was reduced to 10 men just as the second half began when Sphephelo Sithole brought down Brian Gutiérrez, who was heading toward the goal unmarked. Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio showed a red card.
“We played well; there were moments when Mexico didn’t know what to do and our organization was very good,” said Hugo Broos, South Africa’s coach.
It seemed the match was going to be easier for the Mexicans with South Africa short-handed, but fans began to boo the Mexican players after they stopped attacking and appeared nervous.
Seeing his players’ lackluster performance on the field, Aguirre responded with substitutions: bringing on 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, a fan favorite, as well as Luis Chávez, to reshape the midfield.
Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez cries while hugging teammate Roberto Alvarado after scoring against South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday to open the World Cup.
(Natacha Pisarenko / Ap Photo/natacha Pisarenko)
“[It was] the start of the World Cup. It’s an intense atmosphere,” Aguirre said.
“In 25 games, we’ve never had players with cramps — today we had three. It was a very intense, emotional state. It shows that the setting weighed on them a little. Not on everyone.”
Shortly after the substitutions, Roberto Álvarado crossed the ball from the right to Raúl Jiménez, who headed it past South Africa’s goalkeeper, Williams, in the 67th minute.
South Africa was reduced to nine men after Themba Zwane struck Álvarado off the ball. After consulting the video assisted referee, the official gave Zwane a red card.
“I think you can accept the first red card,” said Broos. “I think the second one is debatable. It was a bit harsh on the referee’s part. We have two players who won’t be able to play in the next match.”
After the second red card, Mexico took its foot off the gas again and was met with whistles from the crowd, who were hungry for more goals.
Mexico and South Africa faced off in front of 80,824 fans at Mexico City Stadium, more commonly known as Azteca Stadium, on Thursday to open the World Cup.
(David Ramos / Getty Images)
Mexico’s César Montes was sent off in stoppage time for bringing down Khuliso Mudau outside the box as he was heading toward the goal.
With the win, Mexico leads its group with three points and waited to see the result of South Korea versus the Czech Republic in Guadalajara later Thursday. South Africa has zero points. Mexico’s next match is in Guadalajara on June 18 against South Korea, while South Africa faces the Czech Republic in Atlanta.
“We need the next three days to get over the disappointment and fatigue,” Broos said, before addressing his team’s mere two shots on goal. “We have to work on our offense because it wasn’t enough today.”
The match marked the debut of Mora, the youngest player in the World Cup.
“For his first game, he didn’t disappoint,” said Aguirre.
US President Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on screens during the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.
NEW YORK — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
Trump was shown for several seconds giving a military salute. The boos ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited loud boos.
Trump is watching from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, along with granddaughter Kai, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum. He is the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying “Trump must go.”
He settled into Dolan’s suite shortly afterward.
During the afternoon before Trump’s arrival, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. Fans lined up to get inside the arena more than four hours before tip-off, in a scene more closely resembling New Year’s Eve in Times Square than the usual leadup to a basketball game.
They were required to provide a ticket or pass to get past various checkpoints, along with going through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer. Secret Service personnel and police were positioned at every corner and in large numbers. Daily commuters, tourists and fans were all confounded at various times as they tried to maneuver the security.
New Yorkers forced to adjust
After traveling from his new home in Florida for the game, Knicks fan Greg Weldon said the main inconvenience he’s faced so far has been the lack of information.
“We’ve asked so many cops, Secret Service, guys with machine guns, what to do, where should we go,” he said. “Nobody knows.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown and Spurs counterpart Mitch Johnson downplayed any concept of being inconvenienced by the closures and enhanced security because of Trump.
“There’s a lot going on, and I’d much rather be a part of it than not,” Johnson said.
With security stepped up, a watch party outside was canceled, and ticket holders were not allowed to bring bags inside the Garden. Fans had gathered near the arena to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the Final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.
“We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. “But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
Incidents heighten attention to Trump’s security
This is the latest major sporting event Trump has attended during his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.
Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Assn. pushed back the start of the match by a half hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.
Federal law enforcement officials have been reexamining Trump’s security in light of three incidents in the past two years: a shooting at a 2024 rally in Butler, Penn.; the discovery of a man armed with a rifle as Trump played golf in West Palm Beach, Fla., later that year; and the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner.
Asked Sunday his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play [no matter] who’s here and who’s not.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also at the game.
It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $5,000. The best seats are tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket, which he said was standing room only, for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.
The difficulty of seeing the game in person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event was moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.
“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. “We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
PARIS — Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15.
At 19, she’s a Grand Slam champion.
The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday.
Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women’s singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992.
“You’re so young and talented. It’s so annoying,” Chwalinska told Andreeva during the awards ceremony.
When Andreeva executed a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she threw her racket into the air and dropped on her knees to the clay to celebrate.
Mirra Andreeva returns a shot against Maja Chwalinska during the French Open women’s final on Saturday.
(Thibault Camus / Associated Press)
During the trophy presentation, Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself “for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it’s tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me.
“Only I know how tough it was for me,” Andreeva added. “How nervous I was throughout these two weeks.”
Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title.
Andreeva was born in Siberia and moved to Sochi and eventually France to develop her tennis career.
She drew loud applause from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier when she spoke a few words of French during the trophy presentation.
“Thanks for your support today and over these past two marvelous weeks here in Paris,” Andreeva said. “It was very important for me.”
Alexander Zverev plays Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final on Sunday to conclude the wildest Grand Slam in recent memory.
Andreeva has been considered a Grand Slam contender since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she became the third-youngest player to win a main draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament and made the quarterfinals.
Lately, Andreeva has had to contend with playing under neutral status and without her country’s flag due to the war with Ukraine.
When she beat Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals, Kostyuk refused to shake her hand, as has been the custom for Ukrainian players facing Russians ever since the war started in 2022.
Andreeva has gone a step further than her coach, Conchita Martinez, who lost the 2000 French Open final to Mary Pierce.
Pierce presented the winner’s trophy to Andreeva.
The final was played under mostly sunny skies but wind was a factor in the first Grand Slam final for both players.
Chwalinska double-faulted on the opening point of the match but she was the first player to hold serve in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead.
But then Andreeva won nine straight games to take control as she found a way to hit through the wind and answer Chwalinska’s array of spins and drop shots.
Andreeva produced 25 winners to Chwalinska’s 10 and also had fewer unforced errors: 26 to 29.
There was a strong Polish presence in the crowd.
When Chwalinska was introduced, fans held aloft red-and-white Polish flags and chanted her name: “Ma-ja, Ma-ja.”
Andreeva had little support from the crowd, although there was a shout of “Davai Mirra!” (“Go Mirra”) in Russian late in the match.
In men’s doubles, top-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained their title with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
Dampf writes for the Associated Press. Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.
GK Barry was yelled out by a celebrity teammate during Soccer Aid after she ignored a pass to instead dance with the crowd just seconds into her time on the pitch
Tom Grennan and GK Barry at Soccer Aid(Image: Shutterstock)
GK Barry appeared to leave a Soccer Aid teammate frustrated just moments into her time on the pitch. The Loose Women star was yelled at by Tom Grennan after she was too busy dancing with the crowd to see him pass her the ball.
The 26-year-old influencer, whose real name is Grace Keeling, was on England’s team at this year’s charity match and came on after replacing Tom Hiddleston in the 41st minute of the game. She quickly got the ball and passed it to Grennan, then turned to the crowd to celebrate, but missed Grennan’s return pass.
As Keeling celebrated, Grennan kicked the ball back to her and it rolled out of play. He appeared to yell something at her, gesturing to where the ball had rolled out of bounds, before turning his back.
Fans thought Keeling’s antics were “hilarious”. One said: “GK Barry in soccer aid is absolutely sending me”. Another added: “Literally love GK Barry so much”. A third said: “GK Barry is hilarious”. One called it an “all time soccer aid moment”.
Prior to the match, GK Barry sat down with Mirror to talk about Soccer Aid, particularly what her footballer girlfriend Ella Rutherford thought of it. “She’s really excited,” Keeling revealed. “I’ve never been one to understand football; I’ve never had the chance, but I feel like she’s loving telling me about it. She’s like ‘This is a corner’, and I’m like ‘OK’.”
Keeling joked that she and Rutherford were “swapping roles” and she was going to be “signing up to Portsmouth”. She also revealed how her girlfriend was helping her prepare for the match.
“I’m learning how to dribble,” she laughed, adding: “Learning what goal is ours that we have to shoot in. Ella’s got me on a high protein diet, which is hell – I’ve been doing a lot of that, a lot of eggs, a lot of mince, it’s disgusting but I’m hoping that will make me automatically become a footballer.”
As for advice on how to be on the pitch, Keeling says she’s noticed Rutherford is “very good at stopping people getting the ball”. But Barry is a “wuss”. “Her main thing is, you need to control the ball,” she explained, adding: “I get scared – if I’ve got a six-foot man coming towards me trying to get the ball, he might have to have it.”
Despite her excitement for Soccer Aid, Keeling joked it wasn’t her “bag”. She said: “Because I’ve watched Ella do it i sort of maybe kind of know what to expect a little bit, that’s what I’m telling myself.” But, the thought of 60,000 people attending is giving Grace the fear.
“I have a thing, I forget how to walk if I think someone behind me is looking at me,” she said, adding: “I do fear that I may skip onto the pitch or something like that. But it should be exciting, it’s the biggest thing I’ve done.” And despite being terrified she may embarrass herself, that doesn’t matter for Keeling as she’s taking part in an “amazing” event.
And Keeling admits that aligning herself with such a positive cause is “nice” for her due to the ages of her audience. “I think it’s amazing to tie in with that,” she said, adding: “Our team, there are so many types of people in different bits of the industry, so the amount of people we’ll be able to bring in and donate to the charity is amazing.”
For the third year in a row, Littler finished top of the Premier League standings.
He went on to reach the final for the third consecutive year and has won the title in two of them.
He set a new record for night wins in the league phase in 2025 and matched that tally of six in 2026.
Despite that, Littler said he felt like he did not want to “go to the next Premier League night”.
He added: “Tonight was one of those wins where I had to get it done. Even sat at home, I didn’t want to go out. I didn’t want to go to the next Premier League night but we’ve done it.
“We’ve all got feelings, not just as dart players, we’re humans. I can’t believe I’ve won.”
The current Premier League format lasts 17 weeks if you reach finals night and sees players travel across the UK, Republic of Ireland and Europe to play every Thursday during the league phase.
The event only features eight players – the world’s four top-ranked players and four players who are invited by the Professional Darts Corporation – and runs alongside ProTour events.
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle highlighted how former world champions Gerwyn Price and Phil Taylor have felt a similar strain to Littler in the past.
He said: “It is not a rarity for the Premier League to become too much. Week after week, it is an endurance test.
“Sometimes you can feel down and if you feel down, you become mentally weaker.
“We know how strong Luke Littler is mentally but when you are feeling like you’re public enemy number one, you can feel like you don’t want to turn up, but he did turn up and this is now the by-product of turning up.”
Despite coming close to leaving the competition, Littler’s dominance in the sport continues to grow.
His victory means he has added the Premier League to his World Championship title, World Masters and UK Open successes this year.
Littler holds seven of the eight ranking titles that the Professional Darts Corporation have, plus the Premier League.
“There is a point in everyone’s career when they are at their peak – we don’t know if this is his peak but we know this is peak level because Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor’s peak was this kind of standard,” added Mardle.
“We’re assuming he must be near his peak and it is good enough time and time again. There are no weaknesses really.”
Among the next things for Littler to tick off is glory alongside Luke Humphries for England in June’s World Cup of Darts.
If the pair play anything like they did in London on Thursday night, you wouldn’t bet against them.
Russell Crowe has pushed back against TMZ’s coverage of his recent interactions with a crowd of autograph seekers.
“Clickbait,” the “Gladiator” actor wrote in a Monday post on X. “Everybody got their autograph and selfie, the passage to the hotel was kept free for guests, and I still got to the airport on time. One man, no security. Handled. What’s your problem ?”
Earlier that day, the outlet had posted a video of Crowe addressing a crowd of fans and autograph seekers outside of a Paris hotel before making his way to them to sign various memorabilia.
“If you needed a reminder that fans are not always priority No. 1 — turn to Russell Crowe — cause the guy was absolutely not having it outside of his Paris hotel,” TMZ wrote in its since-deleted X post sharing the video. The outlet also framed the video as Crowe “explod[ing] on Pushy Autograph Seekers” in its news story.
In the video, the Academy Award winner is shown giving clear directions to those gathered for his autograph or to snap a photo with him.
“Stay where you are, don’t f— push in on me, I’ll come to you,” Crowe says. “Give everybody space. As soon as somebody’s a d—, I’m gone.”
The actor then approaches the crowd to sign various items held out in front of him. The short clip ends soon after Crowe declines a request to also write “Maximus” — the name of his “Gladiator” character — next to his signature as he continues to sign other things.
Crowe’s temperament, blunt demeanor and distaste for certain aspects of “celebrity” have long been fodder for news coverage. In 2005, the actor made headlines for throwing a phone that hit a Manhattan hotel concierge.
“If I ever was going to torture somebody, I’d put them in a room where they can’t leave and have someone new come in every three minutes and ask the same question over a number of days and then weeks,” Crowe said in a 2010 interview with The Times, describing what happens at a movie press junket on the eve of embarking on one.
“Some people believe celebrity is a power that should be used. Ultimately, your dollars are more powerful,” Crowe said in that interview. “I’m famous for making movies. Celebrity just happens to be an unfortunate byproduct of what I do.”
From California Rock, 1,100 feet above Yosemite Valley, the crown jewel of America’s beloved national parks spreads out beneath you.
The jaw-dropping north face of 8,800-foot Half Dome towers to the east. The silky green ribbon of the Merced River meanders through the valley floor below, astonishingly lush during the spring snow melt. Even cars in the parking lots look fabulous, their roofs and windshields sparkling in the golden sunshine like so many tiny gems.
And then you realize those gems are everywhere — as far as the eye can see — because every single parking space in the valley is full.
On the way down from that vantage point, Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, which was practically empty at 9 a.m., had turned into a human conveyor belt by 11 a.m. Hundreds of people trudged up the steep switchbacks in single file.
People hike the Upper Yosemite Falls trail in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
That’s what’s giving parks enthusiasts heartburn this spring.
Even before the summer rush, which begins in earnest in a few days with Memorial Day weekend, California’s most visited national park is seeing enormous crowds. There have been more than 836,000 visits so far in 2026, according to National Park System data — about 100,000 more than this time last year.
The reason, according to parks advocates, is the Trump administration’s decision to abandon a reservation system implemented in 2020 to limit crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system has been used on and off since then to help control the number of visitors and preserve a sense of natural tranquility.
On Saturday, there seemed to be an uneasy balance: The crowds were large but well-managed, with some visitors worried about the months ahead.
On the valley floor, as hundreds of people pressed together to gaze in awe at Lower Yosemite Falls, Jeff Wilson of Folsom said he was having flashbacks to 2023, the last time the park allowed entry without permits.
“It was just absolute bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way around the loop. Zero places to park, cars just circling all day, and people pulling off into just random spots,” Wilson said. “It was an absolute mess.”
People walk to the bottom of Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
There were echoes of that everywhere on Saturday. Parking lots filled up fast — the lot at Curry Village was full by 8 a.m. — and cars were stashed in every unmarked flat spot their owners thought they could get away with.
Once people found somewhere to leave their cars, they didn’t dare move them. Most relied on the free shuttle that circles the valley floor. The big white buses were jammed to capacity by midday, as were the bus stops, where people often had to wait for several shuttles to pass before one arrived with room.
Still, the lines were reasonable to enter the park and pay the fee — $35 per car for U.S. residents and President Trump’s new $100 per person extra charge for foreigners. That means a family of four from abroad would have to pay $435.
People who arrived very early breezed through the toll booths, and even those who showed up after 9 a.m. said they waited only about 15 to 30 minutes. That was a dramatic improvement over recent weekends, when social media lit up with complaints of hour-and-a-half ordeals.
Traffic flowed slowly but smoothly on the main paved roads around the valley floor. There was the occasional outburst as angry drivers leaned heavily on their horns, filling the peaceful meadow with a sudden blast of urban agita, but in general, things remained calm.
“We thought it would be more crowded,” said Laura Yuen, from the Bay Area. “But it’s actually manageable. We’re on bikes, and people are making room and are courteous.”
Arriving early and stashing the car was key for Yuen and her companion.
“A couple of sights have been crowded — those were the really touristy spots. But other than that, it has been beautiful,” she said. “This is a great time of year to come.”
Whether the good times will last once the high season begins is the question.
People board a shuttle in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
Since Trump returned to office in 2025 and unleashed Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency on the federal work force, the National Park System has lost nearly a quarter of its employees to layoffs and buyouts, according to the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Assn.
And the Trump administration has proposed about 3,000 more job cuts — roughly another 25% — in the coming year. Trump has also proposed slashing nearly $800 million from the park system’s roughly $3-billion operating budget.
All of which risks tipping the delicate balance into chaos and gridlock, critics warn.
By 2 p.m., a flashing sign at the entrance to Curry Village advised that the parking lot was full and directed people to try their luck elsewhere.
Still, dozens of drivers crept around the lot, hoping to pounce if someone pulled out. It looked like an especially depressing way to spend an afternoon surrounded by some of the most celebrated natural wonders on Earth.
Kunal Khandwala of San José was among those searching for a spot until he gave up and pulled over, blocking a few cars but ready to move if their owners returned and needed to leave.
His friends had hopped out and joined the line at the Curry Village Pizza Deck, waiting to grab some food and go find a quiet spot for a picnic — far from the village.
The situation was “testing,” Khandwala said, but not intolerable if you relaxed and remained patient.
And anything was better than subjecting yourself to the shuttle, he joked.
People raft down the Merced River with Yosemite Falls in the background in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
“The waits are insane,” he said, pitying people who had only a day in the park and were hoping to hit all of the highlights by bus. “There’s no way. You’re not going to see everything you want if you rely on the shuttle.”
Parks officials were unable to provide the number of visitors who arrived on Saturday, or compare that to the crowds on recent weekends.
But with Memorial Day looming, this weekend felt like the calm before the storm.
Which is why Wilson, the frequent visitor from Folsom, said he is “very, very much pro-reservation. It is a hassle — you have to plan ahead — but it just makes it a better experience for everybody.”
He had also brought his bike, which seemed to be the best way to elude the masses.
“This is my favorite place in the world, no matter what the crowds are like,” he said before pedaling off. “As long as you can get in, come, have a good time, you’ll love it.”
WASHINGTON — Thousands of people streamed onto the National Mall for a daylong prayer rally Sunday headlined by President Trump and billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.”
Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument, worship music blared from a stage that made clear the event’s Christian focus. Arched stained-glass windows, set underneath grand columns resembling a federal building, depicted the nation’s founders alongside a white cross.
The nation’s tradition of separating church and state, however, was not on display. Most speakers celebrated Christianity’s ties to American history, a blending of ideas that critics decried before the gathering as Christian nationalism.
Trump read a passage of Scripture in a video shown at the rally. Filmed in the Oval Office, it was the same footage used during a marathon Bible-reading event last month. The verses from 2 Chronicles are often cited by those who claim America was founded as a Christian nation.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways,” Trump read, “then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Other leading Republicans, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), were also on the schedule for the event, part of the celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Only one name on the Rededicate 250 program was not Christian. Most were among Trump’s longtime evangelical supporters, including Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office and evangelist Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse.
“We are deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is a nation to a very narrow and ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation’s fundamental commitment to religious freedom,” said the Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, a Baptist minister who leads the progressive Christian organization Sojourners.
The conservative Christian lineup featured guests who often assert that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, a narrative disputed by many historians and other religious traditions and inconsistent with American legal precedent.
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, noted the religious diversity of early America, including Jews, Muslims and Indigenous people. “I want to shine a light on America’s history as a nation that welcomes, celebrates and protects people of all faiths and those of no faith,” Pesner said.
‘It’s all about Jesus’
Many in the crowd wore Trump hats and patriotic colors, joining the festivities under a sweltering sun.
“It’s all about Jesus,” said Denny Smith, 72, of Rhode Island, who rented a motorized scooter to traverse the National Mall.
Retha Bond, a 58-year-old from southern Illinois, said she was here to hear Trump speak nearby on Jan. 6, 2021. She said she did not join the protesters who rioted later that day at the Capitol, attacking police officers while attempting to overturn the presidential election result, but she has remained a steadfast Trump supporter.
“I’m not saying Trump is the savior,” Bond said. But she said that “this is one of the most important things that could be going on in the world, for us to rededicate our nation back to God.”
At least one event speaker mentioned the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk’s activism has been a powerful example for Alessandra Seawright, 15, of Santa Fe, N.M., who came to Rededicate 250 with her mother.
“I think we just need more of this in our country, and we just need to share the word of the Lord,” she said. “We love going to events like this.”
They also attended Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, which mixed Christian worship and political messages. Events like these, Seawright said, help her feel less alone in her conservative Christian beliefs.
Prayer event spurs protest
Hegseth, who has infused Christian language and worship with his role leading the Pentagon — drawing criticism — asked the gathering in a video to pray to “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Referencing George Washington’s faith, he said, “Let us pray without ceasing. Let us pray for our nation on bended knee.”
Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik was the only non-Christian religious leader listed on the program. To applause, he told the crowd, “Antisemitism is utterly un-American” — a seeming reference to debates dividing the right.
Soloveichik serves on the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission along with White-Cain, Graham and Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron, Catholic clerics also featured on the program.
The event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership backed by the White House. Congressional Democrats have questioned the nonprofit’s structure and finances, which they see as a Trump-controlled end run around a separate commission charted by Congress a decade ago to prepare semiquincentennial events.
Progressive groups staged counter-programming. Among them were the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocates a strict separation of church and state, and the Christian organization Faithful America. The two groups displayed a large balloon near the mall of a Trump-like golden calf, a biblical reference to idolatry.
On Thursday evening, the Interfaith Alliance projected protest slogans onto an exterior wall of the National Gallery of Art. “Democracy not theocracy,” said one. Another said: “The separation of church and state is good for both.”
Stanley writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Peter Smith in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Thousands of people rallied Saturday in the cradle of the modern civil rights movement to mobilize a new voting rights era as conservative states dismantle congressional districts that helped secure Black political representation.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey called Montgomery “sacred soil” in the fight for civil rights.
“If we in our generation do not now do our duty, we will lose the gains and the rights and the liberties that our ancestors afforded us,” Booker said in the Alabama capital.
The crowd was led in chants of “we won’t go back” and “we fight.”
“We are not going down without a fight. We are not going down to Jim Crow maps,” Shalela Dowdy, a plaintiff in the Alabama redistricting case said, alluding to racial gerrymandering in several states that has followed the recent Supreme Court decision to roll back the Voting Rights Act.
A crowd of thousands gathered in front of the city’s historic Alabama Capitol, where the Confederacy was formed in 1861 and where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in 1965 at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march. The stage, set in front of the Capitol, was flanked from behind by statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and civil rights icon Rosa Parks — dueling tributes erected nearly 90 years apart.
Speakers said the spot was once the temple of the Confederacy and transformed into holy ground of the civil rights movement.
Some in the crowd said the effort to redraw lines has echoes of the past.
“We lived through the ’60s. It takes you back. When you think that Alabama’s moving forward, it takes two steps back,” said Camellia A. Hooks, a 70-year-old Montgomery resident.
The rally began in Selma, where a violent clash between law enforcement and voting rights activists in 1965 galvanized support for passage of the Voting Rights Act. It then moved to the state Capitol, where King gave his “How Long, Not Long” speech the same year.
The Supreme Court ruling involving Louisiana hollowed out a tenet of the Voting Rights Act that was already weakened by a separate high court decision in 2013 and then narrowed further over the years. That helped clear the way for stricter voter ID laws, registration restrictions and limits on early voting and polling place changes, including in states that once needed federal pre-clearance before they could change voting laws because of their historical discrimination against Black voters.
Veterans of the civil rights movement are alarmed by the speed of the rollbacks, noting that protections won through generations of sacrifice have been weakened in little more than a decade.
Kirk Carrington, 75, was a teen in 1965 when law enforcement officers attacked marchers in Selma on what became known as Bloody Sunday. A white man on a horse wielding a stick chased Carrington through the streets on that day, he said.
“It’s really just appalling to me and all the young people that marched during the ’60s, fought hard to get voting rights, equal rights and civil rights,” Carrington said. “It’s sad that it’s continuing after 60-plus-odd years that we are still fighting for the same thing we fought for back then.”
The effect in Montgomery
Montgomery is home to one of the congressional districts that is being altered in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
A federal court in 2023 redrew Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District after ruling that the state intentionally diluted the voting power of Black residents, who make up about 27% of its population. The court said there should be a district where Black people are a majority or near-majority and have an opportunity to elect their candidate of choice.
But the Supreme Court cleared the way for a different map that could let the GOP reclaim the seat. While the matter remains under litigation, the state plans special primaries Aug. 11 under the new map.
Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures, who won election in the district in 2024, said the dispute is not about him but rather people’s opportunity to have representation.
“When Republicans are literally turning back the clock on what representation, what the faces of representation look like, what the opportunities, legitimate opportunities for representation look like across this country, then I think it starts to resonate with people in a little bit of a different way,” Figures said.
Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, a Republican, said the Louisiana ruling provided an opportunity to revisit a map that was forced on the state by the federal court.
“People tend to forget what happened. When this thing went to court, the Republican Party had that seat, congressional seat 2,” Ledbetter said last week. “There’s been a push through the courts to try to overtake some of these red state seats, and that’s certainly what happened in that one.”
Evan Milligan, the lead plaintiff in the Alabama redistricting case, said there is grief over the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, but it is crucial that people recommit to the fight.
“We have to accept that this is the new reality, whether we like it or not,” Milligan said. “We don’t have to accept that this will be the reality for the next 10 years or two years or forever.”
Venezuelan oil revenues are currently controlled by the US Treasury Department. (Archive)
Caracas, May 15, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan oil production has moved past 1 million barrels per day (bpd) for the first time in over seven years.
The latest OPEC monthly report placed the Caribbean nation’s April output at 1.031 million bpd, as measured by secondary sources. The figure increased by 46,000 bpd compared to the previous month.
For its part, state oil company PDVSA reported April’s production at 1.136 million bpd, up from 1.095 million bpd in March. Direct and secondary measurements have differed over time due to disagreements over the inclusion of natural gas liquids and condensates.
With the oil industry under crushing US coercive measures, crude production plummeted from around 1.9 million bpd when the first sanctions were levied against PDVSA. Following the US imposition of an export embargo in January 2019, output fell under 1 million bpd, hitting decades-lows around 350,000 bpd in 2020 before a steady recovery in recent years.
Since the January 3 US military strikes against Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has imposed control over the nation’s energy sector, with revenues deposited in US Treasury-run accounts before being partially returned to Caracas at US officials’ discretion.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Thursday that “for the first time in over a decade the wealth of Venezuela is benefitting the people of Venezuela,” though he did not mention the impact of US sanctions first imposed in late 2014.
While US coercive measures remain in place, the White House has issued a series of licenses allowing Western corporations to return to the Venezuelan energy sector.
BP, Chevron, Eni, Repsol, and Shell are among the companies to have struck oil and natural gas contracts with the Venezuelan government led by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez in past weeks, taking advantage of a recent pro-business legislative overhaul that slashed royalties and taxes, granted private partners increased control over operations and sales, and opened the way for disputes to be settled in international arbitration bodies.
Lesser-known companies Overseas Oil and Crossover Energy have likewise inked agreements for energy projects in the South American country.
ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are also evaluating prospects for a return to Venezuela, according to the Wall Street Journal. The two oil giants saw their assets nationalized by the former Hugo Chávez government in the 2000s after refusing to accept the country’s reforms asserting sovereignty over the industry. Both corporations would go on to secure compensation via international arbitration, with an award of over US $10 billion to ConocoPhillips still outstanding.
The recent rebound in oil production coincided with an increase in US-sourced diluent imports. Exports also surged in April to 1.23 million bpd, the highest figure in over seven years. Apart from a growing number of cargoes to US refineries, Indian refiner Reliance is receiving increased shipments after securing US Treasury approval.
In contrast, two tankers reportedly headed to China and Cuba, respectively, will return their cargoes to Venezuelan ports after being intercepted by US naval forces. Prior to the January 3 operation and US control over oil exports, China had been the primary destination for Venezuelan crude. Caracas had likewise been the main supplier of oil to Cuba in the last two decades.
Venezuelan and US authorities have offered no clarity on the return of export proceeds to the South American country, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating that Caracas needs to submit a “budget request” before accessing its funds. The Venezuelan Central Bank’s handling of US-disbursed resources will be subjected to outside auditing, with Pentagon and CIA contractor Deloitte reportedly among the companies hired.
Despite the absence of official data on Venezuelan export revenues and the portion being returned to the country, the Rodríguez administration’s injection of foreign currency into exchange tables run by public and private banks increased in April and May. US authorities reportedly mandated that PDVSA revenues be funneled directly to private sector importers via forex auctions as opposed to having the Venezuelan Central Bank run foreign currency assignments.
Considering the amount of comedy that was dropped on L.A. last week for the third Netflix is a Joke Festival, the idea that anyone can see it all is laughable. Yet of course, like fools, once again we tried. Between big outdoor shows, theaters and intimate club gigs, the seven day smorgasboard of stand-up, improv, variety shows, marathons and more was a wild ride we won’t soon forget. Here is our list of the funniest shows we saw at Netflix is a Joke 2026.
Monday, May 4
Ron White, from left, Jim Jefferies, Sam Jay, Shane Gillis, James McCann and Dan Soder at the Hollywood Bowl.
(Adam Rose / Netflix)
Shane Gillis and Friends Hollywood Bowl As a sea of comedy fans filled up the Hollywood Bowl to kick off the first outdoor event at Netflix is a Joke, Shane Gillis brought the energy of a season-opening football game to L.A.’s biggest bandshell. Commanding a solid roster of veteran comics including James McCann, Sam Jay, Ron White, Dan Soder, and Jim Jeffries, Gillis took on the role of a grizzled and playfully perverse football coach hosting the night and telling funny stories about his days as a very average high school football player on crappy all-white teams before he blew up in comedy.
“Whoever the home team was in high school football you got to pick the intro song that you would run onto the field to to get hyped. So when me and the white guys were the home team, our music would be like ‘Cut my life into pieces…’ [singing Papa Roach’s “Last Resort”] something scary, something suicidal. That’s as intimidating as white dudes get…sad. Those are the most dangerous whites. If this game doesn’t go well I might shoot this whole thing up on Monday,” Gillis joked.
Fortunately it did go pretty well throughout the night as Gillis brought up each comic that used their different styles to score plenty of laughs throughout the night. (Nate Jackson)
Mike Ward Dynasty Typewriter
Comedy transcends lines and borders, so when we heard that comedian Mike Ward hopped his own border in Canada to be at Dynasty Typewriter, we were all in. Rachel Bonnetta opened the show with a mix of playful confidence and high-energy hilarity, perfectly warming up the crowd before introducing the main attraction to fans. Record breaker and a master of storytelling in French, he didn’t disappoint with his all-English crossover, covering everything from his legendary Supreme Court of Canada case to teenage lust, dating after marriage, attempting generosity, and “trunk love.” Ward mentioned jokes translating from French to English and how they’d hit, but he was definitely in his element, and it all translated to perfect laughs. (Ali Lerman)
Tuesday, May 5
Theo Von and Mike Tyson record a live podcast at the Wiltern.
(Matthew Salacuse/Netflix )
Theo Von: ‘This Past Weekend’ Live- Guest: Mike Tyson- The Wiltern
Stand-up might own the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, but the podcasts they delivered are absolutely worth talking about. For Theo Von’s first-ever live taping of his hit podcast “This Past Weekend,” he landed the ultimate guest: Iron Mike Tyson. The sold-out crowd at the Wiltern erupted the second Von hit the stage, but that was nothing compared to the deafening roar of screams and “We love you, Mike!” when Tyson walked out.
Tyson admitted he wasn’t familiar with Von, but thankfully stated he did indeed like him, because that would have really messed up the rest of the episode! The two share an inquisitive and child-like energy, turning heavy conversations about growing up broke, the solitude of incarceration, and desperate cries for attention, into something remarkably light. Tyson’s vulnerable side was also on display while speaking about his daughter dying tragically, God’s plan for him, and speaking about his mentor Cus D’Amato, which quite literally brought him to tears. Can a show be heartfelt and insane at the same time? Definitely interested to see how they edit a few things, but when this knockout episode comes out, you’re truly in for a beautiful treat packed with plenty of wild moments. (A.L.)
Seinfeld featuring Leanne Morgan The Greek Theatre
Blending the big-city humor with hilarious Southern comfort might sound like an odd pairing when talking about comedy, but something about the combo of Jerry Seinfeld and Leanne Morgan just works. Yes, we love a good rant about the terrors of technology from a comedy legend like Seinfeld, who got famous long before the advent of artificial intelligence and smartphones. But his crotchety comedy on a cold night at the Greek Theatre was complimented by Morgan’s ability to add warmth and sweetness to her smack talk about being a small town cheermom in the world of competitive cheerleading which she described as “the Olympics meets Honey Boo Boo.”
Most big comedy shows at the fest had a strict no cellphones policy, Seinfeld was content with just reminding us that our friends are all sick of our stupid cellphone videos. “They don’t care what you’re doing, your life, your experiences, any more than you care about what your friends are doing…everyone is sick of everything. That’s where we’re starting tonight.”
Both are recognized around the world for being on popular TV shows bearing their names. One star seemed genuinely enthralled that people recognized her and clapped when she came out, the other one seemed like he couldn’t get out of the show fast enough and get back to bed. But the mix of both energies of these authentic polar opposites worked well together to keep the crowd laughing. (N.J.)
Wednesday, May 6
David Spade, Dana Carvey and Chris Rock at the Orpheum Theatre.
(Kit Karzen / Netflix)
‘Fly on the Wall’ podcast with Dana Carvey, David Spade and Chris Rock The Orpheum Theatre
The best way to get amazing stories out of a famous comedian is to be one yourself. It’s the reason a podcast like “Fly on the Wall” with David Spade and Dana Carvey succeed at squeezing the best out of their guests who are often on somebody’s Mt. Rushmore of Comedy. For the festival, the two “Saturday Night Live” alumni brought out the big guns by inviting their buddy Chris Rock downtown — ”way downtown” by his estimation — at 6 p.m. last Wednesday to the Orpheum for a live taping of the podcast. The three stars began by diving ever-so-casually into stories about their interactions with Michael Jackson, Tupac, Kanye and Dave Chappelle. Rock also got to expound on the classic period where he released some of the best comedy specials ever made.
He talked about his groundbreaking hour “Bring the Pain” being the result of doing as many shows as possible to pay for a divorce and as a result, “I got way better” he told Carvey and Spade. “Then I went on a Rocky run where he was knocking motherf— out.” He took that momentum into his next classic special, 1999’s “Bigger & Blacker,” that helped reshape the face of stand-up. “There’s a time in your life when you’re just a vessel and I was in that point of my life,” Rock said. (N.J.)
Nate Jackson at Laugh Factory Hollywood
It’s a skill for a comedian to be able to sit in the pocket of a crowd’s energy and keep a room full of people laughing and on their toes at the same time. Try doing it for six shows back to back. While it’s not the most consecutive sold-out shows he’s ever done at a venue (last year he delivered nine in a row at Zanies in Nashville), Nate Jackson’s ability to leave a mark on the fest at his week-long residency at Laugh Factory Hollywood was akin to watching an executive chef doing a week of cooking in his restaurant. In Jackson’s case that meant delivering some third-degree burns in the front several rows of the crowd known as the “roast zone.” When it comes to killing his customers Jackson prefaces every show the same way. “Rule number one, if I look at you and you don’t want no smoke, look away,” he told the Laugh Factory crowd.
“That is the rule and the standard, I do not get people unless they lock eyes and give me consent. As a matter of fact, this is called the Roast Zone. If anybody is accidentally down there, it’s time to get the f— out. Because rule number two is, if I look at you and you look at me and I start and you don’t like what I decided to talk about, looking away will no longer save you.” To the people that got a little too charred during his show, don’t say he didn’t warn you. (N.J.)
Thursday, May 7
Noah Wyle and Jon Stewart at the Hollywood Bowl.
(Adam Rose / Netflix)
Night of Too Many Stars Hollywood Bowl
It was a starry, starry night at Thursday’s sold-out Hollywood Bowl Netflix is a Joke Presents: Night of Too Many Stars epic comic bonanza fundraiser benefitting autism programs nationwide, including Autism Speaks. Founded in New York by writer-producer Robert Smigel and his wife Michelle in 2003 following their son Daniel’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, the Los Angeles gala was hosted by longtime supporter Jon Stewart and featured a roster of top–tier stand-up talent including Niki Glaser, Ali Wong, Conan O’Brien, Tiffany Haddish, Sarah Silverman, John Mulaney and Adam Sandler, who closed the show with a trio of upbeat tunes. Cast members of reality shows such as “Love on the Spectrum” were also on deck to introduce comics, and auction items throughout the event raised crucially needed funds for individuals on the spectrum: a mock “physical examination” by Noah Wyle, star of HBO’s juggernaut medical series “The Pitt” fetched $18,000; a woman paid $50,000 to be animated into an episode of “The Simpsons.” One man stood up and donated $100,000 with no prize attached. The most special part of the night: I attended along with my son, 19, who is on the autism spectrum and laughed and smiled for three hours straight. (Malina Saval)
Wanda Sykes Dolby Theatre
Politics, family, inflation, racism, weight gain and greed were among the multiple topics lampooned by Wanda Sykes during a dynamic and often wickedly funny tour stop at the Dolby Theatre last Thursday. Despite the large venue and packed-in audience, Sykes created an intimate club vibe, walking onstage in a utilitarian jumpsuit and instantly bonding with the audience over just how weird things have become in present-day America.
She likened 2026 to the Upside Down in “Stranger Things,” but populated with pedophiles, grifters and racists instead of demogorgons. Turn it upside down “and a billionaire falls through the ceiling,” she said. Her impersonation of Trump dancing and chatting with Epstein in the now infamous video clip was pure brilliance. How a 5-foot-2 Black woman looked more Trump than Trump was a feat unto itself.
Sykes also bemoaned the greed behind things marketed as conveniences, like supermarket self-checkout (“We’re working for free!”), food delivery bots and airport wheelchairs that get passengers to their gate without attendants. “That was someone’s job!” she said. Then added, “What if walking fast and [pushing heavy things] was the only thing they were good at?” Opening for Sykes was her former sidekick on “The Wanda Sykes Show,” Keith Robinson. (Lorraine Ali)
“Kill Tony” Intuit Dome
The number one live podcast in the world, “Kill Tony,” returned to its roots in our beloved city on Thursday, and this time for the local masses at Intuit Dome. Co-hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban, when there’s a show of this caliber during a festival, you just know the guests are going to be jaw droppers. Fighting the L.A. traffic to kick off the Dome show were Jelly Roll and Teddy Swims backed up by the Kill Tony Band, maybe? You know, it was hard to hear through all the women screaming. Kidding, we were all scream-singing, and it was such a fun way to start a show. Sitting on panel were beloved KT guests Harland Williams and Gabriel Iglesias, and the “legends bucket” made its way to its first arena in L.A., and the pulls were indeed clutch. Ron White, Joe DeRosa, and Tony’s number one favorite comic, Tony Hinchcliffe (played by Adam Ray), showed the crowd exactly what effortless and absolutely merciless veteran comedy looks like. Between bucket pull madness, a ton of Golden Ticket winners dazzled throughout, treating L.A. to a little slice of what we see in Austin on Mondays. (AL)
Friday, May 8
“Stamptown” at the Montalbán Theatre.
(Aaron Epstein / Netflix)
‘Stamptown’ Montalban Theater
Comedy variety show “Stamptown” begins with master of ceremonies Jack Tucker (the clown persona of Zach Zucker) descending from the ceiling covered in sweat as pyrotechnic flares explode on stage and electric guitars summon him before he falls flat on his face. But don’t worry, it only gets more insane from there. Part musical revue, part comedy showcase, and part circus — “Stamptown,” which filmed its shows for an upcoming Netflix special, is what happens when the lunatics get control of the asylum and decide to put on a Las Vegas show from hell. Tucker’s rapid-fire delivery is punctuated with sound effects, music cues, and the use of a variety of props dangling from his person at all times (including handcuffs, a wad of cash, and two guns). Featuring celebrity cameos, acrobatic stunts, full-frontal nudity, and the show’s stagecrew and audience members getting in on the chaos — “Stamptown” is a true homage to the theatrical possibilities of performance that toes the line ofwhat you think is possible to be done under the label “comedy show.” “Stamptown” at the Montalbán was filmed as part of a Netflix special that will air later this year, which any lover of brain rot and pageantry should be sure to check out. (Leila Jordan)
Dave Chappelle The Palladium We’re not allowed to say anything about went on at the Dave Chappelle three-show residency at the Palladium other than the fact that it was an evening of music and comedy. Per usual they locked up the crowd’s phones to see his show but fortunately there were plenty of actual cameras capturing what went on so hopefully you get to see what we saw very soon. (NJ)
Hasan Minhaj versus Ronnie Chieng Dolby Theatre Known for their spirited debates on “The Daily Show,” political satirists Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng faced off in a comedy showdown where they challenged one another to prove who is better suited to fix a broken America, Asians (Chieng is from Malaysia) or Indians (Minhaj’s parents are from India)?
Never mind that Indians are South Asians, the two comedians got plenty of laughs backing up their absurd arguments with flow charts, graphs, curated news clips, a faux AI bot called “Niri,” and plenty of racist rhetoric. They broke down the debate into categories: Who’s better at academics? Business and the economy? Cuisine? Chieng argued that Asians are better at sports with a list of Olympic gold medal wins over the past three Summer Games. He won’t use all of Asia, he said, just China. Result? The country had over 100 gold medals. India had just one. Minhaj wondered aloud: For people who love gold so much, why is it so hard for us to win one?
Their choreographed debate exploited and skewered stereotypes via expert timing and pointed wit, hitting home with the predominantly Asian and South Asian audience. (L.A.)
Saturday, May 9
Atsuko Okatsuka with Margaret Cho and Trevor Noah at the Orpheum.
(Andrew Max Levy / Netflix)
Atsuko Okatsuka The Orpheum Theatre
An Atsuko Okatsuka show is typically full of surprises as a result of her offbeat humor and twerk-master physicality. Her show at the Orpheum is the result of a brand-new hour she’s been performing on her Big Bowl Tour and includes plenty of jokes about dinosaurs and love of Jamaican dancehall choreography. But before she even took the stage with new material, fans got gleefully blindsided by the appearance of two comedy titans, Margaret Cho and Trevor Noah, who came out to deliver punchy opening sets that got loads of laughter to set the tone for Okatsuka’s evening of examining reality through her absurdist lens as an artistic performer who often feels like she’s from another planet. At the end of the show she announced that after releasing her first two specials on HBO (“The Intruder” in 2022) and Hulu (“Father,” which came out in 2025) her next special will be released (surprise!) on Netflix in 2027. (N.J.)
‘My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Reunion
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” premiered on the CW Network in 2015 and managed to tell a complete four season story about mental illness in a musical comedy series that featured parody songs on everything from “Cats” to modern pop music to Jewish folk songs. Seven years after it ended, the cast and creatives behind the show reunited to perform a stripped-down selection of the series’ beloved songs. But this concert is not meant to serve as an introduction for those unfamiliar with the original show. The reunion performance is a tribute both to the miraculous existence of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and to the devoted fans who still know all the words to songs like “Let’s Generalize About Men” and “Don’t Be a Lawyer.” (L.J.)
James McCann Hollywood Improv (Main Room)
Australian-born comedian James McCann topped the bill Saturday night at the Hollywood Improv, and the eclectic crowd packed the place ready to celebrate his arrival in L.A. Host Benton Harshaw and openers Ruby Setnik and Sam Campbell absolutely connected and killed. And if my word count were double, they’d get individual praise for setting the room up perfectly. High energy was the vibe when McCann got on stage to wild roars from the 9:30pm early show crowd and his energy match, noting he was excited to be at the historic club himself. Mullet looking flawless, poems in tow, and dark humor dialed to an 11, he questioned L.A.’s homeless crisis, may have questioned the audience a bit too much, and tore through his thoughts on a census overhaul, the insanity of the TV show “Survivor” (yes, it’s still on), the glory days of drinking, and having visions of finally being successful enough to hire his dream team. (A.L.)
Tom Segura, left, and Bert Kreischer speak during the Two Bears 5k event at the Rose Bowl.
(Jerod Harris / Getty Images for Netflix)
2 Bears 5K Rose Bowl
Can’t. Type. Too. Sore. And that’s not even from the run-walking, it’s from the afterparty inside Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. Whether you kicked off this magical day of athleticism in downward dog with Ari Shaffir, or if you went straight for the starting line with Bert Kreischer, Tom Segura, and a svelte-looking Jelly Roll (bravo!), there was stretching, pacing, sweating and rejoicing to be had. The hang was so casual it allowed participants to rub elbows with a surplus of comics on hand like H. Foley, Kevin Ryan, Steph Tolev, Jefferson McDonald, Joe DeRosa, Jessimae Peluso, Greg Fitzsimmons, Daphnique Springs, Brittany Ross, Ian Fidance, Kim Congdon, and Dave Williamson. The finish line led runners directly into the Rose Bowl where there was plenty of Por Osos flowing, snacks, interactive games and recovery stations, and a live taping of 2 Bears 1 Cave with our favorite boys and celeb participants.
Sunday, May 10
Marcello Hernandez performed with Feid at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday.
(Koury Angelo / Netflix)
Marcello Hernandez and Feid Hollywood Bowl
On “Saturday Night Live,” he plays a Latin Lover named Domingo. But at the Hollywood Bowl on Mother’s Day Sunday, headliner Marcello Hernández riffed on his real life as a mama’s boy growing up in Miami — expanding on material from his 2026 Netflix special, “American Boy” — and duly invited out his mom, Isabel, who was met with a standing ovation. “God gave me a mother who worked her entire life for me,” said Hernández, who eased on his elastic goofball schtick to exalt immigrant mothers. “Today, I give thanks to her — and to all the mothers who are here, as well as those you left back home.”
Attended by nearly 17,000 people, the Bowl’s biggest Spanish-language comedy event also featured a special (and sensual) musical performance by Colombian reggaeton heartthrob Feid, as well as Mexican comedian Sofia Niño de Rivera, who opened the show with her own riotous act. At some point she asked the audience if beating piñatas had been canceled by the woke mob; you’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s even funnier in Spanish. (Suzy Exposito)
Roast of Kevin Hart Kia Forum Los Angeles showed up to the Forum in Inglewood for the roast of Kevin Hart, the comedian we love to hate but also love to laugh with. It was a brutal takedown of Hart that could only be accomplished by the utmost respect and love from his peers. A surprise appearance by his longtime rival Katt Williams brought the entire house to their feet. Sheryl Underwood expertly executed the punchlines and made the culture the star of her set. Chelsea Handler could have been the star of her own show. The Rock’s WWE entrance brought the heat of the pyrotechnics to the stage with his explicit propositioning of Hart’s wife, Eniko, and an attempt to breastfeed Hart. Some controversial jokes by lesser, edgy comedians fell flat but Jeff Ross, the master of roasts, held the tempo together and kept the roast moving forward. There was something for everyone in this, as Hart, the hardest working person in comedy, has become famous for. (Janelle Webster)
Flight of the Conchords The Greek Theatre
Experiencing Flight of the Conchords at the Greek is something many fans of their lusty, yet-bone-dry musical comedy haven’t gotten to experience in a while. It’s been eight years since Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have put us on “Business Time” with their stripped down odes to sexy R&B mixed with a hint of yacht rock, hip-hop power pop and whatever else they decided to throw together from their bag of classic jams that earned them fans in the early aughts. Following a killer opening set from comedian Arj Barker, Flight of the Conchords took the stage looking a bit more like silver foxes than young birds, which made the timeless chuckle-inducing tunes like “Robots,” “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room),” “Hurt Feelings” and “Business Time” land with even more impact as the crowd enjoyed some long-awaited nostalgia. Did they forget a few lyrics? Miss some solos? Mess up entire songs? Sure! But with a dose of Kiwi banter and the ability to laugh at themselves, the mistakes only made the show funnier and a reminder of why we’ve missed them. (N.J.)
LAS VEGAS — “You know, I was thinking,” Gwen Stefani said, looking out at the crowd before her on Wednesday night at Sphere. The singer was maybe an hour and a half into the first show of No Doubt’s monthlong residency at the dome-shaped venue just off the Las Vegas Strip, and now the moment had come for the hit that changed everything for this once-scrappy ska-punk band from Orange County.
“I was thinking about this next song, and I was thinking about Anaheim,” she continued. “Do you know where Anaheim is?”
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The song, of course, was “Just a Girl,” which Stefani said she wrote “out of pure innocence in a time where I was just becoming aware of myself and my surroundings.” She added that she’d always assumed she’d outgrow the song — that someday it would feel disconnected from the life of a woman who went on to become a pop star with a clothing line and a gig on TV. Here she was, though, about to do “Just a Girl” for 20,000 or so fans eager to sing along.
“You tell me if you think it’s still relevant,” she said.
In a built-to-please town where old hits are welcome on any stage — not least Sphere’s, which these days also hosts the Eagles and the Backstreet Boys — the crowd’s verdict was no surprise. Yet this was a more committed look back than might have been expected, with a loose narrative arc tracing No Doubt’s ascent (rather than its peak) and a set list filled with deep cuts well beyond the catchy singles that once blanketed KROQ and MTV.
Beneath a massive wraparound screen that flickered with vintage camcorder-style footage from the early 1990s, the group played “Excuse Me Mr.” and “New” and “Total Hate ’95”; Stefani and her bandmates — guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young — did “Trapped in a Box,” “End It on This” and “The Climb,” which No Doubt heads on the internet say they hadn’t performed live in nearly three decades.
Then again, for one of those decades, No Doubt wasn’t performing at all. The band made its ballyhooed comeback in 2024 at Coachella, where it delivered a punchy, compact set of hits and brought out Olivia Rodrigo for a guest spot that demonstrated Stefani’s influence — musical, attitudinal, sartorial — on the generation of female pop stars that came after her. (At Sphere, Stefani’s taste in plaids and animal prints was clearly still casting a spell among her admirers.)
No Doubt’s Sphere residency is scheduled to run through mid-June.
(John Shearer)
The takeaway from Coachella was that the band had worked itself back into fighting shape; Stefani, in particular, seemed eager to prove that her years doling out niceties on “The Voice” and dabbling in country music with her husband, Blake Shelton, hadn’t dulled her edge. Here, the band went further, using Sphere’s state-of-the-art environs to imagine itself back in a dingy club or student union.
There were big visual moments, including a simulated trip through a crumbling amusement park — the “Tragic Kingdom” of the group’s breakout 1995 LP — and a bit with a stories-tall cartoon Stefani towering over the room in her fishnets and combat boots. And even with all of the obscurities, it’s not as though No Doubt skipped its best-known songs: “Bathwater” and “Spiderwebs” were bouncy yet propulsive, while “Underneath It All” and “Hella Good” showcased the players’ nimble rhythmic interplay. Stefani’s voice was at its pleading best in “Don’t Speak,” one of the great pop ballads of the last 30 years, and “Simple Kind of Life,” which was accompanied by a video starring Stefani and Kanal acting out some episode from their ancient romance.
Before “Ex-Girlfriend,” which Stefani wrote amid her doomed marriage to Gavin Rossdale of Bush, the singer said, “It gives me — what is it? The PTSD. But because I absolutely adore you guys, I’m gonna suffer.”
Yet this was the chapter of No Doubt’s story — basically the apex of its popularity — that the band seemed least interested in exploring on Wednesday. The impression you got was that Stefani and her pals hadn’t come to Vegas to cruise or to gloat or even to soak up the easy adulation that’s always on offer here; weirdly, they’d come to remember the struggle.
Such is the case with Burney Falls, a Northern California waterfall whose loveliness became such a siren song to costume-wearing Instagram mermaids, selfie-taking TikTok tour guides and off-the-beaten-track road trippers that crowds grew and grew, until the natural wonder just couldn’t handle it any more.
Crowds in recent years have damaged trails, trampled plants and clogged rural roads.
Now, as part of a pilot program to reduce overcrowding, the California Department of Parks and Recreation will require advance reservations to visit the Shasta County waterfall on many days this summer.
“Burney Falls is a crown jewel of the California State Park System, and we want all visitors to have an enjoyable and memorable experience when visiting this one-of-a-kind destination,” State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a statement. “By allowing visitors to make a reservation in advance, we can help keep crowds manageable and not push the park’s resources past the breaking point.”
The reservations, which can be purchased online, will be required to visit the falls Fridays through Sundays and on holidays during peak visitation season, from May 15 through Sept. 27.
On those days, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park will offer 103 parking passes for 8 a.m. to noon, an additional 103 passes for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 35 passes for the entire day.
The day use passes will cost $11 per vehicle, according to State Parks, with discounts for seniors and people with disabilities.
California State Parks annual pass holders will pay no additional charge but must make reservations. Visitors with overnight campground or cabin reservations will not need additional passes for day use.
The 129-foot waterfall — a wide curtain of white water cascading from a basalt cliff face — generates its own rainbow and once was dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Visitors often endure long lines to get a selfie at Burney Falls. Here, Rachel Brussbau poses with her 1-year-old daughter, Sage, and Crysten Michol in July 2023.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Times)
But for much of its history, it “experienced limited visitation due to its rural location … and lack of publicity,” the State Parks department said in a statement.
“For generations of visitors, it had the reputation of a small, family-oriented park and one of California’s best-kept secrets,” the department said. “However, over the past decade, and especially with the growth of social media, that secret is now world-famous.”
Crowds swelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, when indoor public spaces closed.
A State Parks spokesperson told The Times in an email Monday that in 2015, Burney Falls had 121,495 visitors. Numbers “have steadily risen since that time, peaking at 322,192 visitors in 2020 during the pandemic,” the spokesperson said.
Since then, about 220,000 people have visited the park each year.
The spokesperson said the numbers account only for people who come in through the official entrance and not those who park illegally on the side of the road and enter off-trail.
Because so many people have veered off established trails, the park in recent years has experienced increased erosion and damage to sensitive vegetation and sacred tribal land, according to the State Parks department. Heavy traffic and illegal parking also have created unsafe conditions along State Highway 89, one of the heavily forested county’s main thoroughfares and a critical fire evacuation route.
“Campers with reservations are hesitant to leave the park, knowing that it may take up to two hours to re-enter on busy days,” the department statement read.
Because of limited parking, the gates often close for several hours each day.
“If lucky enough to gain entry, visitors inside the park are met with extreme overcrowding, long restroom lines, and overflowing trash cans instead of a peaceful, rejuvenating experience at one of the nation’s most awe-inspiring natural landmarks,” State Parks said.
In the summer of 2024, State Parks closed all access to the waterfall for the season to repair trails and slopes damaged by heavy crowds and storm erosion.
The department said it will evaluate the day use reservation system at the end of the summer and make adjustments if necessary for future peak visitation periods.
State Sen. Megan Dahle (R-Bieber), whose district includes Shasta County, said the pilot program “is likely to disrupt some trips” until word spreads.
“Unfortunately, for several years it has been clear something needs to change at Burney Falls,” Dahle said. “I hope this is an interim measure on the way to longer-term fixes to accommodate visitors.”
Distraught onlookers caught the moment a monster truck lost control at a car show and plowed into spectators in Colombia, killing at least three people, including a 10-year-old girl. Around 40 people were injured.
We went back for a second day of Stagecoach and spent most of the day holding on to our hats. Before strong winds resulted in the short-lived nighttime postponement and evacuation of the festival, Day 2 had plenty of gusto that carried us through the afternoon and evening, including sets from Bush and Teddy Swims along with some high-octane cooking with Guy Fieri. When crowds were called back after the wind-related fiasco that pushed everything back for headliner Lainey Wilson and caused Journey and Riley Green to cancel their performances, fans who returned still got to witness Wilson triumph over the elements and get down and dirty with Pitbull at Diplo’s Honky Tonk. Luckily the unexpected havoc didn’t blow away all the good vibes. Here are the best, worst and windiest from Day 2.
Guy Fieri features his latest smokehouse dish during the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
(Evan Schaben / For The Times)
Food lessons from the Guy Fieri fever dream
Stagecoach is known for strange bedfellows (see: Emo Nite with Ashlee Simpson Friday) but Guy Fieri with Wynonna Judd, Billy Bob Thornton, Gavin Rossdale and Gavin Adcock is so odd it seems like an AI hallucination. I promise you it happened Saturday afternoon.
“Everybody loves food. That’s the common denominator,” Fieri told the crowd, which included a woman who impressively dressed up as Fieri, fake mustache/goatee and a flame-covered bowling shirt.
“Flavortownnnnn!” Judd said as she walked onto the demonstration stage at Guy’s Stagecoach Smokehouse.
“Just so you know, we could do our own cooking show,” Fieri said as he introduced her.
Each of the stars was paired with a chef, which included Eric Greenspan, Mark Murphy, Aaron May and Hunter Fieri.
Thornton made salmon and fried okra with spicy hummus with Hunter Fieri. The “Landman” star said the key for good fried okra is to use cornmeal. He also shared his favorite chili, which isn’t hot for the sake of being hot.
“Calabrian chili has a flavor,” Thornton said.
He also told the crowd of a new delicacy he discovered: white grapes dipped in spicy Dijon mustard.
“It blew my mind,” Thornton said.
Adcock, meanwhile made a giant prime rib sandwich and beer-battered onion rings.
“I’m a big beef guy,” Adcock said.
Meanwhile, Bush frontman Rossdale was doing what Fieri said was a first for Stagecoach — he made an Asian dish of smoked chicken dredged and flash-fried and shared with two sauces: one a Japanese rice wine and the other a sweet sauce.
Speaking of strange things, here’s my pitch for an “Odd Couple” reboot: Rossdale and Adcock with Fieri as the wacky neighbor. Someone point me to the Paramount+ tent so I can pitch it. (Vanessa Franko)
Teddy Swims performs Saturday on the Mane Stage during the second day of Stagecoach in Indio.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Does Teddy Swims just live here now?
Has anyone checked on Teddy Swims’ house in whatever city he lives in besides Indio? The tattooed soul-rock singer played Stagecoach on Saturday night after doing both weekends of Coachella, and once again he brought out David Lee Roth to sing Van Halen’s “Jump” — an indelible ‘80s staple these guys are double-handedly willing into a Gen Z anthem. (Mikael Wood)
Diplo introduces Sydney Sweeney, who gave out her Syrn lingerie to the crowd at Diplo’s Honkey Tonk on the second day of Stagecoach.
(Evan Schaben / For The Times)
Theo Von crowd surfs, Sydney Sweeney tosses out lingerie and Shaboozey parties in Diplo’s Honky Tonk
If the first Stagecoach fever dream of Saturday was the unlikely cast of Billy Bob Thornton, Wynonna Judd, Gavin Rossdale and Gavin Adcock cooking and chopping it up with Guy Fieri at the Stagecoach Smokehouse, a close second was Diplo’s early evening set in the Honky Tonk.
Already billed as Diplo with podcaster-comedian-Ella Langley duet partner Theo Von and Barstool Sports media personality Caleb Pressley, it also attracted some special guests. Actor Sydney Sweeney showed up to toss panties from her Syrn lingerie brand into the crowd. (She has a pop-up Syrn saloon on the festival grounds).
The “Euphoria” star wasn’t the only surprise during the set — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hitmaker Shaboozey also made an appearance. Even though they played some of his songs, he didn’t perform. Like Sweeney, Shaboozey also has a pop-up saloon at the festival, his promoting upcoming record “The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales.”
And when you think things couldn’t get any weirder, Von went crowd-surfing. Stay weird, Stagecoach. (VF)
Singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale and drummer Nik Hughes of Bush perform on the Mustang Stage at sunset as extreme weather begins to move in during the second day of Stagecoach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Catching up with Bush’s blustery Saturday evening set
Just before we were told to evacuate Friday night, I was about to write about Bush’s Stagecoach debut on the Mustang Stage.
Even as the weather turned colder and the winds turned gnarlier, Gavin Rossdale seemed to be having a great time as the band ripped through a 50-minute set packed with hits including opener “Machinehead,” “Everything Zen,” “Swallowed,” “Glycerine” and set-closing sing-along “Comedown.”
Stagecoach festivalgoers evacuate the Mane Stage after announcements were broadcasted to evacuate the area due to extreme high wind gusts during the second day of Stagecoach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The wind advisory and short-lived postponement nearly blew the fest away
Due to high winds, Stagecoach promoter Goldenvoice postponed the festival Saturday night until further notice and crowds were evacuated. An “emergency evacuation” message showed up on screens on the festival’s Mane Stage saying “the festival has been postponed until further notice. Please move quickly and calmly to the nearest exit.”
At 8:42 p.m., the festival advised via its mobile app that Stagecoach would resume momentarily. “We are working to open doors and prep the site for your safety,” the alert said. Just before 9 p.m. the gates were reopened. Stagecoach updated its schedule for Saturday night after a temporary evacuation due to high winds. Journey, which had been scheduled to play the Mustang Stage, did not perform; Riley Green, set to play the Mane Stage, also didn’t perform. Lainey Wilson, who was set to headline the Mane Stage, played an hour later than originally scheduled at 10:30 p.m. (VF/MW)
Lainey Wilson performs on the Mane Stage during the second day of Stagecoach.
(Evan Schaben / For The Times)
Lainey Wilson takes the stage after the wind After an hourlong delay due to high winds, Lainey Wilson kicked off her headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night with a one-two punch of “Can’t Sit Still” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” — each a solid example of the riff-heavy country-rock that’s made Wilson one of the biggest stars to come out of Nashville in the last 10 years.
“Y’all ready to sing it loud tonight?” she asked the crowd, which was maybe a bit thinner than it might’ve been thanks to fans who left before the festival announced it was reopening. Those who stuck around seemed plenty willing to bellow along. (MW)
The one item on Pitbull’s Stagecoach agenda
Pitbull hit the Mustang Stage an hour later than expected Saturday night after gusty winds forced Stagecoach to evacuate attendees for more than an hour, but Mr. Worldwide didn’t let a delay stop the fun.
“We came here to do one thing and one thing only,” he said from the stage early in the set.
The one thing? Party.
After an intro featuring his DJ and full band that included Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),” Mr. Worldwide appeared, flanked by a half dozen dancers in revealing costumes, to open the raucous set with “Don’t Stop the Party.”
After the song he thanked everyone at Stagecoach for staying and also name-checked some Goldenvoice employees, including Stagecoach booker Stacy Vee, as well as Lainey Wilson, who had just wrapped her headlining set on the Mane Stage.
He followed up the moment of gratitude with “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)” and “Hotel Room Service.”
Later on in the set, Lil Jon joined Pitbull for “Jumpin” before being showered with more gratitude from Pitbull and the crowd. Then the pair performed “Damn I Love Miami.”
I’d like to start a petition for Stagecoach to book Pitbull every year — and bring him to Coachella too! (VF)
[Update: At of 8:42 p.m., the festival advised via its mobile app that Stagecoach will resume momentarily. “We are working to open doors and prep the site for your safety,” the alert said. Just before 9p.m. the gates were reopened.
Stagecoach updated its schedule for Saturday night after a temporary evacuation due to high winds. Journey, which had been scheduled to play the Mustang Stage, will no longer perform; Riley Green, set to play the Mane Stage will also not perform. Lainey Wilson, who was set to headline the Mane stage, will play an hour later than originally scheduled at 10:30 p.m.]
Due to high winds at Stagecoach, the festival promoter Goldenvoice postponed the festival Saturday night until further notice and crowds are currently being evacuated.
An “Emergency Evacuation” message showed up on screens on the festival’s Mane Stage saying “the festival is been postponed until further notice. Please move quickly and calmly to the nearest exit.”
The city of Indio where the fest is located is under a strong wind advisory until 11 a.m. Sunday morning. The advisory issued by the National Weather Service was in effect at 2 p.m. but the gusts didn’t pick up until Teddy swims’ Mane Stage set just after 5 p.m.
Thousands of people poured out of the festival. Despite there being messaging on the screen to evacuate, some emergency exits were still closed by security staff between the main stage and the main entrance. In addition to messaging on screens, the Stagecoach app sent an alert for people to evacuate.
Fans at the festival reported that the winds earlier were much stronger than the evening gusts that resulted in the spontaneous postponement.
“The show was pretty windy when we got there but we went into a saloon to see one of our friends do karaoke,” said Krystine Malins, 58. “When we came out palm trees were like bending in half.”
Malins, who has attended the festival since the first installment in 2007, said an evacuation was “the best call.”
“I just feel bad for these girls walking around half-naked in this wind,” she said.
Two Stagecoach festival attendees, Ellie, 27, and Angelique, 22, sat at tables farther back from the stage watching people filing out of the festival.
“We were trying to see Pitbull at the end of the night, so that’s kind of like our whole night, I don’t know, ruined I guess,” Angelique said. “We were kind of hoping for a refund.” Asked about whether the wind felt seriousness enough to stop the show, the pair were cautiously optimistic. “Honestly I would say yeah [it’s bad], but I feel like there could still be potential for it to go down, but it felt worse earlier,” Angelique said.
Despite the evacuation, the general atmosphere among many festival goers was calm as crowds were walking back to their cars.
“I didn’t even know what was going on until I saw the screen [at the Mane Stage] and then I started hearing “Hey they’re evacuating, get out,” one festival goer told the Times. “But then we had to sit it out because there was a clog at the exit. It’s not that bad.”
Anyone who thinks Coachella’s biggest surprises are reserved for Weekend 1 was proven wrong Friday night as Sabrina Carpenter welcomed Madonna on stage during her Weekend 2 headlining set. The crowd exploded with waves of cheers as the iconic pop star came on stage.
Madge joined Carpenter as a surprise guest during “Juno,” in which Carpenter reemerged in a gown that was a nod to Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” for a torch-passing duet of Madonna’s 1990 pop-house gauntlet “Vogue.”
The classic was followed by the debut of the gloriously upbeat “I Feel Free,” the first track from the pop icon’s forthcoming new album “Confessions II,” due out July 3.
The singer announced the record, a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions On A Dancefloor,” on April 15, alongside a 60-second teaser video for “I Feel Free.”
The Coachella performance, however, marks the first time the song has been heard in full — a fitting full circle moment 20 after Madonna played the Sahara Tent in 2006, complete with the same boots and costuming from that gig. “Confessions II” will be Madonna’s first full-length album since 2019’s “Madame X.”
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“Let’s try to be together. Let’s try to avoid disagreements,” Madonna said as she spoke about the moon and planets aligning.
Before the pair ended with “Like a Prayer,” accompanied by a choir, Madonna had another reason to be grateful.
“This is probably the first time I’ve ever performed with someone shorter than me,” Madonna said to Carpenter as the crowd laughed. “Thank you for giving me that experience.”
Senior Audience Editor Vanessa Franko contributed to this report.
