gig

BACKSTREET BOYS are ­returning to the UK next year for a string of huge shows, including a concert at London’s O2 Arena.

Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson had been locked in rehearsals at a facility in Bedfordshire for the launch of their concert residency in Dusseldorf, which kicked off on Friday.

But I can reveal the band are in advanced talks to perform their first shows in Blighty since the 2022 DNA World Tour.

A source said: “Backstreet’s back — and they’re coming to London.

“All the details are under lock and key but the residency means the guys are on top form and are ready to head out on tour.

“The concerts will take place next year, with one at London’s O2 Arena which will make up part of the venue’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

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“The lads are beyond excited about this and have been working so hard.”

Earlier this year, Backstreet Boys kicked off their Into The Millennium residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

The show is now in ­Germany before more dates in Sin City in December and ­January.

The lads have sold more than 450,000 tickets for the ­residency in Dusseldorf, with fans being treated to a 26-song set list.

As a group, Backstreet Boys dominated Germany in the early days of the band, with fans there catching on early as to what huge stars they would become.

After the residency began, Brian said: “When we talk about this being a homecoming, it’s because Germany is where everything clicked for us.

“It’s where our dream stopped being hypothetical and became something real.

“Coming back for these shows feels full circle.”

After they struck gold, the band went on to become one of the biggest groups in the world, ­selling more than 150million records worldwide and achieving 16 UK Top Ten singles, including No1 hit I Want It That Way in 1999.

As a huge fan, I shall be jumping in the queue for tickets once the show is announced.

Rita can go Anywhere

LIKE me, Rita Ora was a late starter when it came to passing her driving test.

But, aged 35, she’s now finally got her licence and posed proudly with her certificate in front of her Dollar Driving School car in Los Angeles.

The company previously taught stars including model Winnie Harlow how to drive.

See you on the M1, Rita – and feel free to bring your cute four-legged friend along too.

MARIAH HERE TO BRING MORE FESTIVE CHEER

IF you missed out on tickets for Mariah Carey’s upcoming UK Christmas tour dates, I have good news.

I’m told the star is in advanced talks to perform at this year’s Capital Jingle Bell Ball.

My moles tell me the annual event will take place on December 5 and 6 at London’s O2 Arena, with bosses ­working around the clock to secure the US chart queen as a performer.

A source said: “Bosses are still locking in the exact line-up but it’s looking likely Mariah will be a special guest at one of the dates.

“They think she would be an amazing ­addition to the line-up.”

We revealed in July how Mariah was set to return to our shores to play her first run of winter shows here in eight years.

She will begin the gigs on November 27 in Birmingham before concerts in London and Manchester.

Welcome back, Mimi.

We’ve missed you.

It’s heavy petal for Olivia

OLIVIA RODRIGO could be lining up a partnership with Interflora, if the opening night of her Unraveled Tour was anything to go by.

The Drop Dead singer performed in a sea of giant flowers – with 16 gardeners on hand to rearrange the blooms as her US show in Connecticut went on.

As well as singing tracks from her previous two records, Olivia performed nearly every song from No1 album You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love.

She repeatedly changed dresses during the 23-song set – and wowed fans when a white frock she was wearing dissolved as “rain” fell on stage, to reveal a bright-red corseted number underneath.

She will bring the show to the UK for a nine-night run at London’s O2 Arena next April.

CELINE’S DOLLED UP FOR XMAS

CELINE DION is being immortalised as a Barbie doll to celebrate her incredible live music comeback.

I can reveal the My Heart Will Go On singer, who is playing a residency in Paris, will have her own limited edition doll released just in time for Christmas.

A source said: “Celine was contacted by Mattel last year and was told bosses were keen to turn her into a collectable Barbie.

“Naturally, she was honoured, and agreed to the partnership straight away.

“The doll will be based on one of her most iconic looks.”

Celine is not the first star to be turned into the famous toy.

In February, Kylie Minogue had a plastic-fantastic makeover, while Marilyn Monroe got her own doll to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday in August.

POP star Mabel has given birth to her first child, a year on from her wedding to record label executive Preye Crooks.

The singer, who hadn’t revealed she was pregnant, shared a home video on Instagram yesterday of their newborn and was congratulated by fellow artists including Craig David, Fleur East, Tinie Tempah and Ella Eyre.

POP IDOL WILL GOES LIVE AT 25

WILL YOUNG is heading out on tour next year to mark 25 years since he won Pop Idol.

The Evergreen 25th ­Anniversary gigs will see Will, inset, perform with his band.

The shows kick off at ­Manchester’s O2 Apollo on February 20 before other stop-offs include Glasgow, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham, Southend, London and Cardiff.

Will said: “I can’t wait to celebrate with the full band and play Evergreen, as well as all the songs that have come since, from Light My Fire to Leave Right Now.”

X Factor star Olly Murs has also confirmed a string of summer shows for 2027.

His eight-date run will start at Bristol’s Good Times Festival on May 30.

Tickets for Will’s and Olly’s shows go on sale at 10am this Friday.

Did Justin Bieber perform at problem-plagued MacArthur Park? Never say never.

An impersonator may have tricked a Las Vegas nightclub last year, but those at the park Tuesday appeared convinced of their brush with Bieber. L.A. County’s district attorney was too.

According to social media posts, the singer and a few band members set up on a grass lawn near a Central American fried chicken shop on 6th Street. He reportedly performed several songs, including the 2025 hit “Yukon.”

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman on Tuesday night pointed to the “Yukon” clip as proof that park conditions were improving.

L.A. D.A. Nathan Hochman, center left, walks with First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli on June 4 as L.A. police and federal agents conduct an operation targeting narcotics use at MacArthur Park.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Bieber’s performance, he said in a post on X, was a “testament to the progress we are achieving to take back the park from drug dealers and enliven it for families.”

“[He’s] definitely on the invite list for next year’s Labor Day weekend picnic!” Hochman said.

The Times reached out to Bieber’s representatives to confirm the pop singer’s appearance but did not immediately hear back.

The pop star has been leaning in to more intimate performances, notably appearing on the Grammys for a stripped-down rendition of “Yukon” (while wearing boxers and black socks).

In April, he made his Coachella headlining debut, playing a nearly 90-minute set. For a large portion of the set, he took Beliebers — as his fans are known — down memory lane, sitting behind a laptop and singing along to his old music videos.

ED Sheeran has broken down in tears onstage as he bowed to pressure and apologised over a Palestine row.

The singer broke his silence onstage last night after Macklemore was pulled from his tour and his own band quit in protest.

Protesters mounted a demo outside his Philadelphia gig at the Lincoln Financial Field.

Sheeran said he had questioned whether he “wanted to be an artist at all” after the huge row.

The singer-songwriter said onstage last night: “I’ve had to take, and make, difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I’m so, so sorry for them.

“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.”

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JEREMY CLARKSON

Poor Ed Sheeran got cancelled for saying nothing. Is Cliff Richard next?

He said he had tried not to be a “political commentator” because he wanted his music to be about “unity”.

But after days of increased pressure threatening the future of his US tour Loop, the singer admitted onstage: “I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”

“What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.

“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives.

“And the systemic injustice we are seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”

The controversy started when US rapper Macklemore was banned by Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft from performing at the venue at a gig planned for later this month.

Kraft said he would not “provide a platform for hate speech” after the rapper spoke out about Palestine onstage.

But when Macklemore was pulled from the tour, several other support acts quit in solidarity – including Sheeran’s own band.

Other acts who dropped out included Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, Irish singer Aaron Rowe and Danish singer Lukas Graham.

Thousands then cancelled tickets and the musician was unsure if he’d be able to carry on with performances at all.

Emotional Sheeran last night thanked fans for still coming out to his gig, saying: “This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone can stand beside people that they don’t agree with on everything, but they can all agree on singing these songs.”

He ended the gig by saying: “The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope.”

After losing his warm-up acts, Sheeran’s concert start time was pushed back from 5.30pm local time to 8pm.

The tour began in Auckland, New Zealand, in January and is set to finish in Mexico City in December after 16 more dates across America.

TOMORROW night in Philadelphia, Ed Sheeran is expected to return to the stage for the first time since the biggest crisis of his career began.

Venues and promoters removed rapper Macklemore as the opening act on his US tour for voicing pro-Palestinian views on stage — prompting a legion of musicians, many of whom were British megastar Ed’s friends, to publicly turn against him over the past week.

This evening at Lincoln Financial Field, Ed will perform to 60,000 fans alone, with just his guitar and his trusted loop pedal, after Irish singer Aaron Rowe and Danish group Lukas Graham pulled out as support acts.

Irish folk group Beoga have performed with Ed on every night of the Loop World Tour — but they have also withdrawn, along with Billie ­Eilish’s brother Finneas, who was due to open six of Ed’s south ­American dates later this year.

“The world feels like a very lonely place for Ed right now,” an insider tells me.

“He couldn’t have done more to change the situation. He genuinely tried everything. This pile-on has been awful.”

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I’m told dad-of-two Ed, 35, is ­planning on pushing ahead with the concert this evening before taking a view on the remaining ten dates across the US before his shows in South America.

My insider explained: “He wants the tour to continue for fans.

“They will have spent a lot of money on travel and hotels and will want to see him perform.

“The plan is to see how it goes tonight and then Ed and his team can take a view on whether they will carry on or not.”

Last night local action groups Philly Palestine Coalition and Shut Down D&Z confirmed they would be demonstrating at the train station closest to the venue.

Police said they would be increasing patrols in the area and were dispatching extra officers to the area around Lincoln Financial Field before the concert starts at 8pm.

Jasmine Reilly, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department, said last night: “Our officers are talking to Ed’s team to make sure all appropriate measures are taken.”

A second source told me: “A nightmare scenario is if unrest begins inside before or during the show. It’s a possibility because of the heightened emotions with everything that is going on right now.

“Naturally Ed and his team’s concerns are for the safety of the people inside and outside the venue.”

Tonight’s gig will take place 15 days after Macklemore lit the touchpaper under Bad Habits hitmaker Ed.

The rapper — real name Benjamin Haggerty — played his pro-Palestinian protest song Hind’s Hall in New Jersey before telling the crowd: “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in ­stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”

The next day he stood on stage again at the MetLife Stadium and declared: “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.”

Two days later, the Israeli-American Council published a ­petition calling for Macklemore to be removed from Ed’s shows.

On September 8, Jewish singer Pink ramped up emotions when she shared a statement on Instagram with her 11.7million followers.

She blasted Macklemore for going on stage “in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them.”

Three days later Macklemore was removed from Ed’s tour. US promoters Messina Touring Group said that it had been notified by venues on Ed’s US tour that they “will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the line-up.”

In a statement calling Ed a “brother”, the rapper said: “Nothing I’m writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character.

“But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”

Macklemore explained that Ed had told him billionaire Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots American football team and their Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, would not allow him to play the two dates there on September 25 and 26.

Macklemore added: “Ed was in a f***ed-up position.

“His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before.

“He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more ­offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those ­people stood and where I stood.

“But he couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’ ”

The next day Ed addressed the ­situation in a statement to his 47million Instagram followers and revealed the lengths he had gone to in a bid to get everyone back on board.

He said he had spoken to “activists on both sides” as well as the owners of stadiums to find unity and that he was “appalled” by the conflict.

Ed added: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.

“Macklemore coming off the tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work.”

Explaining his decision to remain apolitical, he said: “There is a ­reason I do not use my professional platform for politics.

“My audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds.

“Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes in.

“However there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.”

He concluded: “I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution, and unfortunately I was unable to do so.

“I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”

Despite his attempts to make amends, Ed was left flattened the following day as the artists on his tour started to pull out.

In a statement, Irish group Beoga said: “To play in venues that silence anyone advocating for Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.”

Pro-Israeli billionaire Kraft then came out fighting in Ed’s corner.

Shortly after Macklemore announced he was donating his $1million fee for the tour to humanitarian organisations providing aid to Palestinians, Kraft said Ed had been in touch before asking to match a donation he had made.

Kraft said: “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people.

“I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.

“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.

“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”

Kraft also pointedly recalled Macklemore’s stunt in 2014, where he performed on stage in a costume which featured anti-Semitic tropes.

Macklemore apologised and said he did not mean to offend anyone but conceded the outfit could have looked like a “Jewish caricature”.

In the days prior to tonight’s show, high-profile stars have waded into the row, including British singer Paloma Faith, Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder and Formula 1 champ Lewis Hamilton.

The controversy also spilled over into politics, with US senator ­Bernie Sanders blasting Kraft.

The Democrat wrote: “In the United States of America, billionaire stadium owners should not be able to silence artists because they speak out on political issues.

“Today it is the genocide in Gaza. What’s next? If they can silence one artist, they can silence anyone.”

Since his statement, Ed has not spoken and is, insiders tell me, “staying focused” on the hours ahead of the concert.

A source said: “Ed has never faced anything like this before.

“It’s been devastating. He is trying to do the right thing by everyone. Sadly that isn’t always possible.

“As he said in his statement he has his own views on the conflict.

“Just because he has not been public in speaking about them, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care or hasn’t actively been helping in whatever way he can.”

A BREAKFAST TV legend has been spotted going wild at a Kasabian gig, punching the air and “loving every second.”

Would you have recognised him?

The 60-year-old was seen hanging over a railing, desperate to get closer to the front as he sang along.

He then bopped his head up and down to the tune while he punching the air.

The former Big Breakfast presenter looked like Kasabian’s biggest fan as he jumped up and down to their hit Come on Back To Me Good.

In the video uploaded to TikTok, the radio star can then be seen taking a break from groovin’ as he filming the British rock band.

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He donned a smart blue shirt and beige trousers for the occasion.

The breakfast TV icon in question is of course, Jonny Vaughan.

Jonny got his telly breakthrough in 1993, hosting Channel 4’s film review show Moviewatch.

By 1997 Jonny was the host of The Big Breakfast with his co-star Denise Van Outen.

He took over from Chris Tarrant as the main host of the Capital Breakfast show in 2004 before later hosting a horde of other Channel 4 show’s including Space Cadets.

Jonny now hosts the drivetime show weekdays from 4:00pm till 7:00pm on Radio X.

SCOTT Mills’ husband has appeared to have taken a shady swipe at the BBC as their pal Zoe Ball started her new gig.

Scott, 53, was unceremoniously axed from BBC Radio 2 back in March after details of an historic police investigation emerged.

He was dismissed after new information came to light regarding the investigation about alleged sex offences with a boy aged under 16 in 2018.

As well as losing his role on Radio 2, he was also sacked from working on the BBC’s Eurovision coverage and from a new podcast spin off from Race Across The World – which he won the celebrity series of in 2024.

Zoe, 55, famously left the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show in December 2024 and was replaced by close pal Scott.

She completely left the network a year later when she hosted her final Saturday show as Emma Willis stepped into her shoes following her departure.

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The former It Takes Two host started her new show on Greatest Hits Radio on Monday this week.

A short clip of Zoe on her first show was shared on the radio’s official Instagram account as she welcomed her viewers for the first time.

Scott’s husband Sam Vaughan took to the comments section to show his support as he appeared to shade the BBC.

He penned: “Perfect afternoon soundtrack, we’ve got you on.”

This isn’t the first time Sam has appeared to have thrown some shade as he previously took a swipe at Scott’s Radio 2 replacement, Sara Cox.

She was named as his successor and took over hosting duties back in July.

Sam doesn’t often appear on social media but the timing of his post on Sara’s first day was definitely noticable.

He shared a picture of their cute dog in the lounge, standing in front of a TV screen with Heart FM breakfast playing — NOT Radio 2‘s offering.

Sara was always seen as a natural successor to Scott and we reported how execs moved quickly to secure her for the role when he was dismissed.

A source said at the time: “This is something the BBC have always had lined up for her and she could not be more excited to take on the role.”

Scott confirmed he was quizzed by Metropolitan Police officers in 2018 after an allegation of a “historic sexual offence”.

The case – said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000 – was later dropped in full due to a lack of evidence.

But bosses claimed they only became aware of the age of the alleged victim in the weeks before Mills’ sacking, according to reports.

OASIS have teased more huge gigs with a cheeky nod to their chaotic first tour that saw Liam Gallagher deported from Holland.

The band have been drip-feeding fans cryptic videos hinting at 2027 shows in the UK and Europe ahead of an official announcement.

So far sleuthing supporters have decoded gigs at the Etihad Stadium, Celtic Park and Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Now they’re convinced the band is heading to Amsterdam — two days after The Sun exclusively revealed the band will play shows at the Johan Cruyff Stadium as part of an extended world tour.

Back in 1994, the boozed-up band set sail for the Dutch city’s Paradiso Club only to clash with rowdy West Ham fans on the ferry.

All hell broke loose and Liam famously ran from police in scenes reminiscent of a Benny Hill sketch.

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Noel Gallagher wasn’t involved in the fracas, having headed to his cabin early, however, the damage was done and he joined Liam and the rest of the band on the next ferry home, with the scheduled gig cancelled.

The new clip sees two plucky young lads sprinting through a shipping yard, stopping to stick their fingers up at police officers in pursuit.

One fan commented on X: “I instantly thought of Liam getting arrested on the ferry in Amsterdam!!!”

Another said: “Ferry containers, running from the police, it’s Amsterdam just like they were deported by the police in Amsterdam in 1994.”

A third said: “Fighting on the ferry to Amsterdam?”

The Gallaghers have been promoting the band’s new Don’t Look Back In Anger documentary this week that documents last year’s comeback tour after the brothers ended their 16 year feud.

Today, directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern revealed on Radio X the lengths they went to to ensure they didn’t jeopardise the brothers’ fragile relationship.

Will said: “Day one of shooting was day one of their rehearsals which they hadn’t done before. No one had ever filmed; they hadn’t allowed cameras into rehearsals. The first day of filming was them getting in a room together.

Dylan continued: “Genuinely, other than the photograph to launch this whole tour, it was the first time they’d spent time together in 15 years, so we didn’t want to be the people to ruin this for everybody, so our whole approach was to be invisible.

“We rigged cameras in the room – 12-14 cameras and just left them to film and we had to hide in a portacabin for the whole summer which had no air conditioning during a heat wave.

“We were like CCTV security guards, but we had to be watching the preparation for the biggest rock and roll comeback ever.”