Latest news with #TheGreatest
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
BoA marks Japan debut anniversary with single, tour
BoA will release a single in Japan on Friday in celebration of the anniversary of her debut in the country, agency SM Entertainment said. It's her first new song for Japanese fans in three years, following her compilation album 'The Greatest,' which marked the 20th year since her first Japan release. She made her debut in Japan in 2000 with 'ID: Peace B' and, in a first for a Korean singer, claimed the top spot on Oricon's Weekly Album Ranking in 2002 with her first LP, 'Listen to My Heart.' The artist co-wrote the lyrics and melodies for the single 'Young & Free,' a medium-tempo tune full of summer vibes. BoA also announced plans to tour Japan for the first time in six years. The tour, dubbed 'BoA: One's Own,' is set to kick off in Osaka on Sept. 20 and will conclude in Tokyo on Nov. 1.
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox Sports
Alex Palou Savors Spoils of '500' Victory, Big Media Interest during NYC Tour
INDYCAR Alex Palou gained worldwide acclaim, INDYCAR SERIES immortality and a healthy monetary prize for winning the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But there's a good chance the Spaniard also lost something this week with his win: sleep. Palou embarked on a hectic victory tour stuffed with media engagements and public appearances in Indianapolis and New York just hours after winning 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, his first oval victory and his fifth win in six NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. 'It was a very busy couple of days,' Palou said. 'Went to different studios, different kinds of interviews. I had a lot of fun doing those. Got to experience some cool stuff in New York. 'Every time I was getting tired, the people in INDYCAR gave me small treats, like visiting the Empire State Building or stuff that made my day. It's been awesome. I would repeat this again next year after the '500.'' The celebrations started just a few hours after he took the checkered flag for his first career oval victory. Palou was honored alone on the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis during Game 3 of the Indiana Pacers-New York Knicks' NBA Eastern Conference Finals game. He wore the winner's wreath and a Pacers' jersey with star Tyrese Haliburton's name and number while stepping into the spotlight on the court to rapturous applause of the sellout crowd. On Monday morning, May 26, Palou appeared remotely on morning shows 'FOX and Friends' and 'Good Morning America' in between the winner's photo shoot at IMS and on-site interviews with numerous local and national media outlets, including the Associated Press, FOX Sports and FOX Sports Radio. Then Palou and his family flew to New York that evening for a full schedule of appearances and interviews Tuesday and Wednesday in the country's most populous city, also known as the 'media capital of the world.' Palou appeared live in studio Tuesday morning on 'Good Day New York' on the FOX affiliate FOX 5 NYC before participating in numerous remote interviews with outlets ranging from 'The Dan Le Batard Show,' Muscle & Fitness magazine, the 'Speed Street' podcast hosted by fellow INDYCAR SERIES driver Conor Daly podcast and Spanish media. Then Palou headed to FOX Sports' studios in Manhattan to appear live on the popular daily sports talk show 'First Things First,' which also broadcast live last week from IMS. Co-host Nick Wright proudly wore the winner's wreath and drank the winner's traditional bottle of milk during the segment with Palou. Palou then was whisked to Citi Field in the borough of Queens, where he threw the ceremonial first pitch before the home New York Mets' game against the Chicago White Sox. Palou also gave the command, 'Mascots, start your engines,' on the field for the mascot race in the middle of the third inning. On Wednesday, Palou posed for photos in front an image of him drinking the winner's bottle of milk on the Victory Podium Sunday displayed on the giant video board in front of the NASDAQ stock market in world-famous Times Square. He then visited the observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building for photos before more interviews with numerous media outlets, including CNN, SiriusXM and many other media in his native Spain. The New York portion of the trip ended early Thursday morning when Palou flew to Detroit and participated in pre-event media activities for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, which takes place Friday through Sunday of this week as the next race on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. recommended
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Why music fans are booking flights with their concerts tickets: 'I cried. I loved it.'
Why music fans are booking flights with their concerts tickets: 'I cried. I loved it.' Show Caption Hide Caption Fans on night one of Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour USA TODAY's Beyoncé reporter Caché McClay spoke to fans on night one of the 'Cowboy Carter' tour. Many music fans travel out of state or internationally to attend concerts and music festivals. Traveling for concerts can enhance the experience, allowing fans to explore new cities and experience different crowd cultures. Finding community with other fans is a key benefit of concert travel. Planning and budgeting are essential for successful concert trips, including booking flights and accommodations in advance and setting price alerts. When Billie Eilish went on tour last year, Patrick Diaz jumped at the chance to see her live. Her latest record, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft', helped the 24-year-old through a breakup. 'It was such a healing album for me, and I knew I needed to hear everything in person,' he told USA TODAY. There was just one problem: Eilish wasn't stopping in Texas. The Austin-based content creator traveled to Chicago for her November concert, where he and a friend could stay with his friend's brother. During the show, he got emotional hearing the pop star perform songs like 'The Greatest'. 'I cried just the way I cry when I'm listening in my earbuds," he said. 'I cried. I loved it. I yelled. It was such a fun, fun experience.' He enjoyed it so much he did it all over again the following month in Arizona. Live music has long drawn travelers who hit the road or skies for the most convenient nearby shows, the cheapest concert tickets, or simply for the chance to see their favorite artists before a tour ends – in some cases for weeks at a time. The Bank of America 2025 Summer Travel and Entertainment Survey, conducted among roughly 2,000 U.S. adults between late March and early April, found that half of Americans traveled for a concert, festival or sporting event – out of state, internationally or both – within the last two years. The survey also found that one-third (33%) of respondents 'plan to attend more concerts, sporting events and/or festivals this year compared to 2024.' Concert travel offers more than just the show Traveling can add new elements to the concert-going experience. Diaz likes to turn music-related trips into a 'mini-vacation,' visiting tourist sites like The Bean in Chicago, for instance. For his December trip, he said, 'I did know it was during the wintertime, so I didn't want anywhere that was gonna be too cold. And I was super down to explore Phoenix.' The location can also impact the atmosphere of shows. Emily Sachs, a 29-year-old software engineer, noticed a different crowd culture in the U.K. while she was following the pop rock band The 1975 on tour in early 2023 – part of at least 60 shows she saw from them over roughly two years. 'In the U.S, people will sing and scream along to the words, but in the U.K., people will sing (along) guitar riffs, and it just adds another dimension of fun to the show that way,' said Sachs, who is based in New York City. She noted hometown shows, like the British group's gig in Manchester she attended, have a special quality, as well. 'There is that extra dimension of, you know, they're putting on a show not just for their fans, but for all their friends and family, too. And it's always cool to see them come back to the place where they're from.' Venues can also be as much of a destination as the city where they're located. Jasmin Grimpe attended one of Olivia Rodrigo's four headlining shows at Madison Square Garden during her Guts World Tour in April 2024, a musician's milestone. Grimpe, 21, traveled in from New Jersey, and recalled Rodrigo's palpable excitement at playing there, where she brought out special guest Noah Kahan. 'So obviously that was super hype,' Grimpe said. Even if the show is the priority, music can lead fans to unexpected – and some pleasantly surprising – places. Grimpe, who works as a waitress, went to Columbus, Ohio, to see alternative pop-rock band The Wrecks in 2022. She had never been, and left feeling it was the 'coolest, nicest city in America.' 'And I never would have gone to Columbus, Ohio, independently,' she said. 'And now if I see an artist going to Columbus, Ohio, I'm like, I know that's a good city to be in.' 'A great sense of community' Grimpe is currently traveling the country with three friends to see The Wrecks on tour. While the band puts on the best live performance she's ever seen, she said there's also 'such a great sense of community at their shows.' She met two of her three current travel companions at Wrecks shows. Sachs, by contrast, went alone to the U.K. to see The 1975. 'I didn't know anyone, and just made friends along the way,' Sachs said. 'And, you know, I've got friends now in the U.K. and Scotland, that I'll go to visit. I think we bonded over our shared interests and the slightly intense passion we have.' In addition to seeing the changing narrative of the "At Their Very Best" tour – with its elaborate production – seeing her friends also became a draw. Mya Spencer has similarly found her favorite artists to be a conversation starter. Before recently moving to Atlanta, the 24-year-old often had to travel from her home in Huntsville, Alabama, to see concerts, meeting other fans through social media or while waiting in line to get into venues. The K-pop fan said a stranger's compliment on a BTS charm on her purse in April turned into a 30-minute conversation. 'I've had a lot of interactions like that, and we'll just connect,' she said. Tips for traveling to see live music Traveling for a concert is more complex than driving across town – and typically more expensive. Grimpe's strategy varies depending on the artist. If tickets are cheap and easy to get, she considers what city is most convenient. She lives near Asbury Park, and is about halfway between New York and Philadelphia. 'So, normally, someone's always going to one of those three cities,' she said. But if the prices are steeper – like they were when she went to see Chappell Roan last year – she looks for affordable shows. As soon as she knows when she'll be traveling, she tells her boss at the restaurant where she works. He knows Grimpe eventually wants to work in the music industry, she said, and is 'very understanding' sparing the waitress. Grimpe books hotels and other travel on Expedia, so she can take advantage of rewards and keep her details in one place, and makes a detailed budget down to the day. Rather than being restrictive, she finds sticking to a set price range 'forces you to get more creative and kind of forces you to have more fun.' Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going, noted that airfares have decreased even as concert and festival ticket prices surge. 'We (at Going) often see nowadays the experience, whether that's a VIP festival pass or front-row concert seats, become the biggest cost,' she said in an email. That was true for Diaz, who paid roughly $250 each for his Billie Eilish tickets and a little over $100 for each of his round-trip flights. If you have a particular out-of-town concert or music festival in mind, Nastro recommended setting price alerts for that destination – which users can do in the Going app – to be notified when fares drop (Going is also testing alerts in its app for deals on airfare to cultural events such as Coachella). Depending on how much notice you have, booking flights within the 'Goldilocks Window' – one to three months ahead of domestic travel and two to eight months before international trips – is another bargain-hunting tactic, and buying two one-way flights on different airlines can sometimes be cheaper than a single round-trip ticket. As soon as tour dates drop, Spencer said she goes ahead and books hotels and flights. 'Depending on what kind of community you're in, see if (there's) anybody in your city you could get in touch with and maybe go to the show together in order to split the cost,' she said. Eilish later announced Austin tour dates for 2025, which Diaz plans to attend, but he has no regrets about traveling to Chicago and Phoenix to see her. Diaz and a close friend traveled to Phoenix together, allowing for more quality time than if they had gone to a show locally. 'If Billie had a show in Austin, we would just get ready and go to the concert,' he said. 'Meanwhile, in Arizona, we had to take a flight to Arizona, we had to do all the stuff together in Arizona … and it feels like just one big hug when I think of the trip.' Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@
Fox Sports
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox Sports
FOX Sports Races Into Times Square With Coverage of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Fox Sports Press Pass
'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' to Air Live on SILVERCAST Media's MEGA-ZILLA LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports will air the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge live on the monster 'MEGA-ZILLA' screen in New York's Times Square, bringing 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' to the 'Crossroads of the World.' FOX Sports is broadcasting the iconic event for the first time across its networks, including FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app on Sunday, May 25 . Coverage begins at 10:00 AM ET, with the green flag getting the race underway at 12:45 PM ET. A 20,000-square-foot Ultra-HD screen, dubbed 'MEGA-ZILLA,' is located between 45th and 46th Streets in Manhattan and takes up an entire city block. It is considered the largest and most impactful digital screen in the world, measuring 329 feet, 10 inches wide by 77 feet, 8 inches high. The FOX INDYCAR broadcast team is lead by Will Buxton (play-by-play), James Hinchcliffe (analyst), Townsend Bell (analyst), Kevin Lee (pit reporter), Jamie Little (pit reporter), Georgia Henneberry (pit reporter) and Jack Harvey (pit reporter), who is trying to make the field for the race. Former INDYCAR SERIES racers Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick join veteran broadcaster Chris Myers for prerace coverage.
Fox Sports
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Practice Crash Parks Speedy Scott McLaughlin for Top 12 Qualifying
INDYCAR It appears the Top 12 Qualifying session will be reduced to 11 drivers this afternoon during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge after Scott McLaughlin had a massive crash during pre-qualifying practice. McLaughlin was unhurt in the violent accident, which took place 16 minutes into the one-hour session reserved for the 12 drivers who will vie for the NTT P1 Award for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' SEE: Practice Results | Qualifying Format 2024 Indy 500 pole sitter McLaughlin had just turned the fastest lap of the session, 223.553 mph, when his No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet spun in Turn 2 and made hard contact with the SAFER Barrier. The car got airborne and landed on its left side, bouncing onto its wheels and sliding to rest on the apron at the exit of the corner with heavy damage. FOX Sports' broadcast team reported Team Penske General Manager Kyle Moyer indicated McLaughlin will not participate in Fast 12 Qualifying today, focusing instead on being ready for the practice session at 1 p.m. ET Monday. 'I'm really, really, really, really sorry to everyone at Team Penske, my guys on the 3 car, everyone who builds these fantastic cars,' McLaughlin said. 'It (car) was talking to me, and I sort of felt it, and I probably should have backed out. But you're trying to complete a run to see what it feels like. 'Very grateful to INDYCAR, the safety and my team, the SAFER Barriers and all that. Kept me safe. We had a great car, and I just destroyed it.' Top 12 Qualifying starts 4:05 p.m. ET, which will whittle the field to the Firestone Fast Six that will compete for the NTT P1 Award at 6:25 p.m. In between those sessions, Rinus VeeKay and Jacob Abel of Dale Coyne Racing, Marcus Armstrong of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian and 2020 '500' pole sitter Marco Andretti of Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian will compete for the three final spots in the 33-car starting field in Last Chance Qualifying from 5:15-6:15 p.m. FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network will cover all three qualifying sessions live. Five-time '500' pole winner Scott Dixon was second fastest in the practice on the 2.5-mile oval at 233.240 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon will tie fellow legend Rick Mears with a sixth '500' pole if he secures the top spot today. Pato O'Ward was third at 232.792 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Ten of the 12 drivers who qualified for the Top 12 Qualifying session turned laps today under sunny skies, with air temperatures in the low 70s and northwest winds at 7 mph, gusting to 13 mph. Electing to stay in Gasoline Alley and wait for qualifying were 2022 '500' winner Marcus Ericsson in the No. 28 Allegra Honda of Andretti Global and rookie Robert Shwartzman in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet. Among the Last Chance Qualifying participants, Andretti was fastest at 229.781 in the No. 98 MAPEI/Curb Honda. Armstrong was right behind at 229.776 in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda. Rinus VeeKay was third at 228.988 in the No. 18 askROI Honda, while rookie teammate Jacob Abel's anxiety will rise after he was the slowest of the quartet aiming for three spots, 227.970 in the No. 51 Miller High Life Honda. recommended
