Concerts and Tours

Diddy's former staffers found a safe place to land amid their former employer's prison stint ... grabbing gigs on Usher's record-breaking tour with Chris Brown.

Diddy's former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, a personal assistant who was mentioned multiple times at his trial, and a photographer who worked with the mogul on a documentary just before his arrest were all hired for various roles on "The R&B Tour" ... Rolling Stone reports.

It's unclear who exactly hired them. Usher has a long-standing relationship with Diddy ... which began when Diddy took him on as a favor to music producer L.A. Reid.

Macklemore might be persona non grata in U.S. stadiums for saying "Free Palestine" ... but apparently a few places overseas don't have the same issue ... opening up their doors for his "Free Palestine Tour."

The rapper announced the news on social media Thursday ... revealing he's got 3 dates picked out -- October 26 in Dublin, October 29 in Paris, and October 30 in London.

In the caption announcing the tour, Macklemore writes that the world is waking up to "Palestinian liberation" ... which he sees as a major shift over the last few years.

He then seems to take a swipe at his old buddy Ed Sheeran ... adding, "It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it."

Justin Bieber's headlined Coachella and performed at the World Cup final this year, and he's on the short list to do the Super Bowl halftime show ... but you'll never guess where he performed this week -- a famous park in Los Angeles!!!

Justin was spotted at L.A.'s MacArthur Park on Tuesday afternoon giving fans a free, impromptu performance.

Thumping on a cajón, Justin sang some of his hits -- including the 2025 banger "Yukon" -- in front of the stunned crowd.

Niall Horan is immortalizing his late One Direction bandmate during his concert.

After playing his song "End Of An Era" during the opening night of his "Dinner Party" tour in Birmingham, England, Niall played spoken audio of Liam Payne.

You can hear an emotional recording of Liam say ... "We thought something might happen but never anything like this."

Lionel Richie is back in the hospital after suffering another heart issue ... forcing him and Earth, Wind & Fire to cancel their next three shows, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ .... Lionel is currently hospitalized and receiving treatment for atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat.

We're told doctors are treating Lionel with an AFib ablation, which is not considered a major procedure. The minimally invasive treatment creates tiny scars in the heart to block faulty electrical signals and help restore a normal rhythm.

Carrot Top's Las Vegas shows at the Luxor have been canceled through next Monday as the comedian remains hospitalized following a suspected overdose involving prescription pills ... TMZ has learned.

The 61-year-old's performances through Sept. 28 have been called off while he continues receiving medical care.

As we first reported Carrot Top, whose real name is Scott Thompson, took prescription pills Friday before suffering the suspected overdose.

Carrot Top's Monday night show at the Luxor Casino has officially been canceled ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the show tell us ... the decision was made as the 61-year-old remains hospitalized following his suicide attempt.

We reported earlier ... the comedian's Saturday show was also called off as he receives ongoing care.

Ed Sheeran revealed that he had to drastically alter his stage performance for his Philadelphia concert ... and it was all because he was worried fans might pelt him mid-show!

At one point in the performance ... he told the crowd that he initially was going to perform on a B Stage ... but he decided against it.

He said ... "I didn't know what this audience would be like. I didn't know if I would have things thrown at me."

Carrie Underwood took the stage with Axl Rose to deliver a powerful performance "Sweet Child O' Mine" ... and let's just say she totally rose to the occasion!

It all went down at the Guns N' Roses show in Atlanta last night ... as Carrie shared the lead on the vocals for their iconic song!

Carrie -- who wore a black tank and leopard print shorts -- was joined up on stage by her friend Axl for their duet. And honestly, we totally called this moment!

Ed Sheeran got emotional while speaking out about the controversial axing of Macklemore at his concert in Philly Saturday ... and he told fans he was personally "appalled" by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Telling his fans he was "so, so sorry" after "making mistakes," Ed told the crowd why he decided to open up now.

He said ... “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. My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour."

Ed Sheeran fans arriving at Lincoln Financial Field tonight were met with some NSFW jeers from pro-Palestine protestors upset about Macklemore being axed from his tour.

In a video taken by FreedomNews, one protestor could be heard yelling from a megaphone .... "F*** your concert, f*** your fans. Palestine is our demand."

In another part of the clip, the camera shows the dozens of protestors outside the local subway stop by the field ... chanting ... "Free Palestine."

One of Ed Sheeran's opening acts Aaron Rowe is asking fans to pump the brakes on any hate toward the singer following Macklemore's exit ... even after Aaron himself quit Ed's tour.

Taking to Instagram, Aaron wrote ... "All I keep hearing is Ed Sheeran this, Ed Sheeran that. When you really should be focusing on the likes of Robert Kraft."

We reported earlier ... in addition to Robert -- who owns the Patriots -- other NFL owners agreed with his decision to sever ties with Macklemore.

Celine Dion was still full of so much energy after her Paris concert last night that she climbed on top of a BMW barefoot and kept the tunes coming ... and we have the video!

In the early morning hours of Saturday ... the Canadian songstress was greeted by a throng of fans playing her song "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore" which translates to "So That You'll Love Me Again."

The singer-songwriter was so taken aback by their support following the second night of her Paris residency, she decided to hop on the car for a stirring two-minute rendition. And fans were loving it!

Ed Sheeran's first concert since Macklemore was booted from his tour is going down tonight in Philly — and the fallout from the whole debacle appears to have impacted ticket sales in a huge way.

According to StubHub ... hundreds of tickets ranging from $56 to $251 are still available for purchase, but so far there are no takers. And fans only have hours left to buy all of those tickets before Ed takes the stage at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

As you know, Ed's had a rough week, to say the least, following Macklemore getting kicked off his 2026 Loop Tour for making what some viewed as inflammatory pro-Palestine remarks during a concert in New Jersey.

Ed Sheeran is ready to perform Saturday night's Philadelphia concert solo if needed, now that Macklemore, the rest of his openers and his backup band are out ... TMZ has learned.

Music industry sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... plans for the concert have been changing hour by hour behind the scenes as everyone works out the logistics. But we're told there's no concern about Ed taking the stage by himself if it comes to that.

Our sources point out Ed has historically performed in large-scale venues with nothing more than a guitar ... and has successfully carried two-hour stadium shows without a backup band.

A$AP Rocky turned his Copenhagen concert into a family affair ... bringing Rihanna and their son Riot onstage in the middle of his set.

The surprise cameo went down Friday at Royal Arena, where Rocky was performing "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2" during the European leg of his "Don't Be Dumb" World Tour.

Check out the clip ... RiRi holds 3-year-old Riot right beside Rocky as flames shoot into the air and the trio takes in the roaring crowd together.