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The Portola Festival in San Francisco was out of control Saturday, and it was impossible not to look and recall the tragedy in Houston.

The event went down at Pier 80 in San Fran, and it was packed with people ... some of whom stormed the barricades to get inside for Fred Again and Charli XCX.

Whatever security was there ... they were completely overwhelmed. It didn't seem there was any serious attempt to control the crowd.

The Festival runs through Sunday and some of the biggest names in dance music are hitting the stage, including Flume, The Chemical Brothers, Gorgon City, Kaytranada, James Blake, M.I.A., Lane 8, Peggy Gou, Fatboy Slim, Caroline Polachek, Toro Y Moi, Caribou, Jamie xx, Four Tet+Floating Points and more.

The Festival is produced by Goldenvoice ... the same org that puts on Coachella.

Aaron Carter had cops at his door for a welfare check after going live on Instagram ... because worried fans believed he was possibly doing drugs off-camera.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police received a call Tuesday evening -- with many saying Aaron was "possibly overdosing on social media."

In case you missed it, Aaron went live Tuesday night to chat it up with his followers ... but at one point, the screen went black -- and some fans thought they could hear spraying and inhaling going on in the background.

Cops and the fire department responded to Aaron's home in Lancaster -- sources say they tried calling Aaron and knocking on his door to no avail at first, but eventually made contact with him. Aaron told officers he was sleeping.

We're told cops found no drugs ... and say there was no criminal activity or any type of suicide attempt, either.

Our sources tell us his IG followers would call the cops more often in the past ... and they think his recent behavior online caused alarm once again.

Aaron later claimed it was all a joke, calling himself "the troll hunter" while spraying what appears to be an air freshener. Some fans online weren't buying it -- with some even noting the two sprays sound different.

As we reported, the singer was talking in L.A. last Sunday about his struggles with his on-again, off-again GF ... and he added he's been clean for 5 years and is going to meetings for his past drug addiction.

Music may be the last vestige of civility in the U.S. -- with each half of the country hating the other half -- and the annual Global Citizen Festival Saturday proved the point.

Mariah Carey, Metallica and the Jonas Brothers hit the stage in NYC's Central Park for a concert that showed everyone can come together, at least for some good tunes.

It's become a tradition -- the 10th this time around -- to underscore how music can make our spirits brighter.

There's also a long play for the event ... to cajole corporate bigwigs to ante up in an effort to end extreme poverty.

The Jo bros went first with songs like "What a Man Gotta Do," "Sucker" and "Only Human." Nick performed "Jealous" and Joe did the honors for "Cake by the Ocean."

Mariah was awesome! The crowd went nuts as she sang "Obsessed," "Honey," "We Belong Together," and, of course, "Hero."

Metallica hit the stage with "Nothing Else Matters," "Creeping Death," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Enter Sandman" and "Sad but True."

Charlie Puth got in on the action with “New York State of Mind” and "Left and Right".

President Biden appeared on video to tout the new climate legislation that he signed.

Post Malone just canceled his Boston concert right before showtime ... and he's citing pain that seems to be carrying over from his fall a week ago.

The singer broke the news a few hours before he was scheduled to take the stage Saturday night at the TD Garden, taking to his socials to explain he was feeling a sharp pain in his side that required him to go to the hospital again.

PM writes, "On tour, I usually wake up around 4 o'clock PM, and today I woke up to a cracking sounds on the right side of my body. I felt so good last night, but today it felt so different than has it before."

He goes on to say he feels a "stabbing pain" every time he moves or breathes, apologizing to his Beantown fans and promising their tickets will be good for another date in the future ... so it sounds like it's been postponed. But at any rate, Post won't perform tonight.

Sounds like there's a lot of confusion (and frustration) on the ground there at the arena ... with different reporters saying that droves of people are now leaving after being told by security as they were waiting to get in that Post Malone had postponed the show.

He's been performing since his tumbling through a hole on stage last weekend and cracking a few of his ribs. PM told fans later that he'd be okay and back on tour soon, but it sounds like he's still not 100%, even now.

Roger Waters needs to know his audience better ... he had scheduled concerts in Poland after essentially blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion, so now he's decided to pull the plug on the whole thing.

Waters was set to perform at the Tauron Arena in Krakow. Thing is ... it's possible the war could be over by then -- possible. He clearly knows, however, hard feelings would linger so he's 86'd those appearances.

His manager is the one who pulled the plug, although he didn't say why, but it's obvious.

Waters recently wrote a letter to Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska -- a letter he made public -- claiming "extreme nationalists ... set your country on the path to this disastrous war."

Officials in Krakow had a resolution on the table for the coming week, in which they were about to name Roger persona non grata over his view of the war.

Waters has been on a tear against Ukraine and any country that supported it, including the U.S. for supplying weapons. He also took aim at NATO, which he says provoked Russia.

Lots of couples drama in celebritydom this week, and boy, is Brett Favre in trouble or what? So we gotta ask ...

Romance was in the air between comedian Jo Koy and a mystery brunette, taking a trip outside together for a picnic ... this coming months after the plug was pulled on his relationship with Chelsea Handler.

The 2 had some fun on the lawn in Pacific Palisades toward the end of last month ... layin' close on the blanket outside Alfred Coffee.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... the two were locking lips in the shop before stepping outside for the picnic.

Looks like things are going great for Jo -- as we reported, his split from Chelsea came after nearly a year of dating. Sources close to the former couple told us their schedules just weren't giving them enough time to keep the relationship alive.

We got Joe a few days after the news broke ... and he told us it's all good between him and Chelsea -- saying they're still good buds.

Dwight Howard tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about his interest in joining the WWE -- explaining he'd trade the basketball court for the wrestling ring this year if the offer was right.

Howard showed back in July he certainly has the chops to cut it in the squared circle -- delivering an epic promo after crashing a WWE tryout in Nashville.

And, when we got him out at LAX this week, he made it clear that wasn't just a one-off thing ... telling us he really has a desire to eventually go head-to-head with Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley and the rest of the WWE's best in the near future.

In fact, Dwight said if the offer to wrestle in the WWE was better than one an NBA team could give him -- he'd have no qualms taking it.

"Whatever opportunity is best," the NBA free agent said.

As for what kind of personality Dwight would have in the org. -- he said he could be both a hero and a villain.

Triple H, meanwhile, seems to be down to give him the shot ... in a recent interview, WWE's CCO said all Dwight would have to do is give him a call and they could get things rolling.

“The ball’s in his court,” Triple H said ... "He came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others -- incredibly entertaining."

No one's gonna guarantee you can play guitar like Jimi Hendrix or Elvis Presley, but if nothing else ... ya might be able to decorate your home with the ones they strummed.

The Legends of Rock and Roll auction will go down next month, and some really unique and iconic axes will be up for grabs.

The auction features guitars personally owned or played by some of the biggest rock stars of all time.

Imagine getting your hands on Jimi's Japanese Sunburst electric guitar, which was a gift from his father. It's expected to fetch around $250K!

Kurt Cobain's acoustic guitar comes with an actual estate receipt, while Elvis' 1975 Martin D-28 guitar will also be on the auction block. Bonus for the King's instrument ... it comes with the case too!

The auction will offer some potentially more affordable options too -- guitars from Paul Stanley of KISS, Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and The Cure's Robert Smith.

And, if you're not interested in pretending you're a guitar hero, check out the random memorabilia.

Imagine rocking James Brown's monogrammed dressing room robe and slippers, Rick James' custom-made, and stage-worn, snake jumpsuit ... or Johnny Cash's 14K bracelet and matching ring.

Edward Burns' good looks over the years are hooooot!

Here is a 30-year-old version of the New York native, actor and director looking sexy in a shag haircut and earth-toned suit while at a small theater screening in NYC back in 1998 (left). This was the same year EB was on the silver screen as Private Reiben in the classic movie "Saving Private Ryan."

And 24 years later ... the now 54-year-old dapper dad dressed up in a more slick look and tux for a gathering that raised money for organizations that focus on ending gender-based violence earlier this month in New York City (right).

His beauty is not burning out.

The question is ...

David Dobrik says he shouldn't be held responsible for any injuries suffered by a YouTuber in a social media stunt gone wrong ... claiming the guy knew what he was signing up for.

The influencer just responded to Jeff Wittek's lawsuit against him, with David claiming Jeff knowingly assumed the risks involved with the stunt and can't collect any damages from David just because he got hurt when it went sideways.

TMZ broke the story ... Jeff sued David back in June for more than $10 million, claiming David should have never been behind the controls of the massive excavator used in the stunt, which saw YouTubers being swung around from a rope attached to the excavator shovel.

Jeff says when it was his turn, David started swinging him around too quickly before abruptly slowing down, causing Wittek to slam into the side of the excavator, resulting in broken and fractured bones, plus a torn ligament.

Behind this swooshed-up image is a guy whose comedic talents landed him on "Saturday Night Live" a time or two ... as well as playing a doctor in "30 Rock" ... showing he's not just draped in drama with his 13 Primetime Emmy nominations.

This actor isn't typically a mad man but when he is, you can watch him being a devilishly handsome advertising executive. And, when his pal and co-star Kristen Wiig's car breaks down, you can find him in his Porsche screaming, "You are no longer my number three!"

The Celtics employee with whom Ime Udoka had an affair helped make all his travel arrangements ... and that job sometimes included organizing travel for his fiancee, Nia Long.

Sources connected to the couple and the NBA franchise tell TMZ ... one of the staffer's duties included planning Udoka's team-related travel, and we're told she was also involved in booking travel for Nia to come to Boston or to road games.

Perhaps most upsetting for Nia is that the employee had a hand in Nia's arrangements to move to Boston permanently, according to our sources.

TMZ broke the story ... Nia had just moved east a little over 2 weeks ago with Kez, her 10-year-old son with Ime.

The Celtics are not releasing the name of the employee, but we're told Nia has been told who she is.

Team President Brad Stevens got choked up Friday during a news conference ... saying the scandal had been particularly upsetting for all their female employees -- due to speculation about who had the affair with Udoka.

As we've reported, the team suspended its head coach for the entire 2022-23 season after what it says was a months-long investigation into his conduct.

Tyler Perry has long been dogged over his signature character, Madea, and stereotypes some feel she upholds -- but he's defending himself ... especially against Spike Lee.

The movie studio mogul sat for an interview with Chris Wallace as part of his new program on HBO Max -- "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" -- which was scrapped from CNN+ ... and repurposed on their main streaming app.

Chris asks Tyler about a criticism that Lee once lobbed against him in describing his Madea movies -- in which he called the character and/or those movies "coonery buffoonery" in '09.

From Spike's POV ... Madea is a caricature of Black people, women in particular, and he thinks it's a cheap, over-the-top impersonation that Tyler has monetized with a lot of success. There are at least 10 movies of his in which the character appears.

While TP was once quoted as saying Spike can "go to hell," he's a bit more nuanced in explaining why he loves the character and the thinking behind her makeup. He says Madea represents women he grew up around, whose stories he wanted to convey in a humorous way ... with truth sprinkled in. In other words, he seems to see it as an homage.

Tyler also invokes Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance to reinforce his point ... noting this convo has been happening way before Spike's salvo.

Now, it should be noted ... this old beef, while still discussed today, seems to be long and buried. Back in 2019, when Tyler opened his movie studio lot in Georgia, Spike was actually among the many famous guests who came to check it out. And TP even named one of the sound stages after him ... telling us at the time that his legacy was bigger than their feud.

Britney Spears says she may never perform again, but that doesn't mean she won't get in the booth anew -- proven with Elton John ... and maybe, soon, with Benny Blanco.

The award-winning record producer -- who's actually worked with Britney before -- spilled the beans about a possible collab while chatting with radio host Kannon of "Open House Party" -- a nationally-syndicated show famous for playing Top 40 pop songs/fan requests.

In this particular sit-down, Benny touches on the fact that he's recently reached out to BS -- about a month ago, he says -- to see if she might be interested in joining forces again.

Diehard Britney fans might recall ... BB actually helped write and produce her '08 hit record, "Circus" with Dr. Luke -- and it had a successful run at the time on the charts, and actually went on to become her second-highest selling digital single ever. So, yeah ... good results.

Anyway ... listen to what Benny has to say about linking up once more -- it sounds like he's holding his cards close to the vest here, but he makes it clear that both he and Britney have spoken about the possibility of doing something again. Whether she took him up on that, we'll just have to wait and see ... but we know she's not averse to crooning post-conservatorship.

Of course, she lent her vocals to a remix of "Tiny Dancer" recently ... and it did well, even though Britney could hardly be heard on it. So hopefully a Benny collab would just be all her ... assuming she's up for it, that is.

BS recently suggested she'd never hit the stage again ... out of spite, apparently. She says she's so traumatized by the conservatorship, that she wants to stick it to her dad and co.