The Live World: Breaking Wembley Stadium Record in Style, Australia’s Heavy Metal Cruise Festival to Set Sail

Each week, we track major tour announcements and live world news across ROSTR & NIF. The Live World is your weekly Thursday wrap-up of the live music biz stories you should know about. Let's take a look at this week's…

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Harry Styles has doubled the dates of his Wembley Stadium mini-residency, upping from 6 nights to 12. The extension is in response to the massive demand for tickets, and puts the pop star on track to break the record for the most nights played at Wembley Stadium in one year by any act in history. Coldplay previously held this record with 10 nights. London is just one stop of his Together, Together tour, which includes 30 dates at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Styles is also the latest artist to pledge £1 from every ticket of his Wembley run to the UK's LIVE Trust, a charity that supports the grassroots scene in music and distributes funds from proceeds raised. With 12 shows and a 90K capacity, the pledge would raise ~$1.5M.

Keeping it across the pond, immersive entertainment district and mixed-use development Outernet London shared they have partnered with venue management group Legends Global. As part of the agreement, Legends Global will support programming, operations, premium sales, partnerships & food and beverage to all Outernet locations. Legends Global recently brought Olympia London, Wembley Stadium & Chelsea Football Club under its management roof.

Goldenvoice partnered with the SF Giants to launch Club Darc, a seasonal music series at Pier 48 in San Francisco, which will feature performances on select weekends February through May from artists including Peggy Gou, Mau P, Armand Van Helden, Chris Stussy & more.

The Bay Area will also see Teddy Swims headline the Super Bowl LX Tailgate Concert in Santa Clara next Sunday.

BTS have sold 2.4M tickets to their upcoming tour as of last Saturday, fully selling out their North American & Europe dates. The clean out has led to additional nights in cities including El Paso, Mexico City, Stanford & Las Vegas.

🎟️ Festival Headlines:

• Parklife announced Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji & Skepta as its headliners for the late June festival in Manchester

• Australia's heavy metal cruise festival Hellbound is already set to sail again for 4 nights next January, following its maiden voyage, which will take place this October, selling out in 10 minutes; Parkway Drive, Polaris, Northlane & others are set to perform for the inaugural edition

• Washington D.C.'s Liberation Weekend, benefiting trans liberation and mutual aid, will return with headliners Laura Jane Grace, Ekko Astral & Illuminati Hotties

• Lily Allen rounds out the headliners for Boardmasters 2026, joining Fatboy Slim & Kasabian for the music and surfing event at Newquay's Watergate Bay

• Protoje's Jamaica-based Lost in Time will return next month, where he will headline alongside Chronixx for the 3rd iteration of the festival

• The Red Clay Strays will host their inaugural Fan Fest 2026, a 5-night festival in Montana that will feature performances by Lukas Nelson and St. Paul & the Broken Bones

• The Red Clay Strays will also headline the debut Minnesota Country Club festival along with Treaty Oak Revival this July; Charley Crockett, Jessie Murph, Stephen Wilson Jr., & more have confirmed sets

• The Atlanta Braves will host their inaugural Braves Country Fest at their home stadium this June with headliners Cody Johnson & Ella Langley taking the stage

❌ Cancellations:

• Philip Glass cancelled his Kennedy Center symphony premier, stating the "values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony"

• After Ludacris' exit, Carter Faith and Morgan Wade follow suit dropping out of Kid Rock's Rock the Country 2026 tour due to its strong MAGA-association

🔥 Check out this week's hottest tours in the gallery below: