Kid Rock rejected accusations of lip-synching during Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” but he confirmed his performance was pre-taped, not live. In an Instagram video shared on Tuesday (Feb. 10), the musician blamed post-production editors for poorly syncing audio with video of his “Bawitdaba” performance, creating the appearance of lip-synching. “If I was ever going to lip-synch, which I wouldn’t, that would be the last song I would ever … do it to,” Kid Rock said in the clip. He noted the song’s difficulty and energy demands, explaining “I’m flipping mics, I’m jumping around like a rabid monkey on stage.” The inaugural event aired Sunday (Feb. 8) as counterprogramming to Bad Bunny‘s official NFL Super Bowl halftime show. The alternative concert featured Kid Rock alongside Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, and drew approximately 6.1 million concurrent live viewers, compared to 128 million viewers of Bad Bunny’s performance. (Billboard)
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime performance attracted 128.2 million viewers, making it the second-largest halftime show audience in Super Bowl history. The overall game averaged 124.9 million viewers, ranking as the second-most watched American television broadcast ever. While these numbers fell slightly short of last year’s record-setting Super Bowl featuring Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show with 133.5 million viewers, Bad Bunny dominated social media platforms. His performance generated four billion views within 24 hours and produced the NFL’s three most-viewed social media posts of all time. The Puerto Rican superstar’s show also earned over 57 million YouTube streams. The competing “All-American Halftime Show” featuring Kid Rock peaked at 6.1 million livestream viewers, with about 21 million views on its YouTube replay. (Story URL)
Ross “the Boss” Friedman, co-founder of New York City punk pioneers the Dictators and heavy metal group Manowar, announced his diagnosis with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis on Monday (Feb. 9th). “It’s difficult to know what lies ahead, and it crushes me not to be able to play guitar, but the outpouring of love has been so, so strong. I’m absolutely blown away by the love and support from family, friends and fans. I love you all,” Friedman said. The Bronx-born guitarist experienced weakness in his hands and legs for several months before receiving the ALS diagnosis, also known as Lou Gehrig‘s disease. Friedman helped establish the Dictators in 1973 and later co-founded Manowar with bassist Joey DeMaio. Manowar once held the Guinness World Record for the loudest band in the world, and they released the critically acclaimed heavy metal classic, Hail to England, in 1984. Friedman was inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame in 2017. (Rolling Stone)
On Tuesday (Feb. 10), the Black Keys revealed the dates and details of their extensive 2026 Peaches ‘n Kream World Tour to promote their forthcoming album Peaches!. The tour begins April 24th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and visits major international cities including Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Houston, Nashville, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Milan, and Madrid. Artists from Dan Auerbach‘s record label, Easy Eye Sound, will rotate as opening acts throughout the run, including Miles Kane, Eddie 9V, Fai Laci, Robert Finley, and Jeremie Albino. Artist pre-sale begins Thursday (Feb. 12th), followed by a general on-sale starting Friday (Feb. 13th). The new Black Keys record, Peaches!, is set to be released on May 1st via Easy Eye Sound/Warner Records, with pre-orders currently available. The 58-date world tour spans multiple continents with shows scheduled through October. (Consequence of Sound)