Inquirer.com – Zurich DR

Category: Pop

  • Fans express ‘heartbreak’ after storm causes Louis Tomlinson show to be canceled

    Fans express ‘heartbreak’ after storm causes Louis Tomlinson show to be canceled

    The groans were audible outside Philadelphia’s Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts, where pop singer Louis Tomlinson was slated to take the stage.

    Tomlinson had been scheduled to perform at the venue’s Skyline Stage on Saturday. Then the skies opened up.

    “Due to impacts of severe weather on our campus, we are not able to proceed with tonight’s performance,” the venue said in a statement. The show was not rescheduled. Ticketmaster is in the process of issuing refunds.

    For rabid fans of the singer, a former One Direction member with a devoted army of admirers, the last-minute cancellation cut deep.

    “I came all the way from Italy,” a fan who goes by Crystal wrote on X. “I spent so much time and money to be here. I know this isn’t Louis’ fault, but right now I’m angry, exhausted, and my bank account is empty.”

    One Directioners and Tomlinson superfans are pretty common in the area. There’s a One Direction-themed smoothie shop in Scranton that enthusiasts travel hours to visit. And Tomlinson’s former bandmate and collaborator Zayn Malik has expressed his own devotion to the region.

    One Direction superfans are traveling hours to go to this smoothie shop outside of Scranton

    Tomlinson’s Philadelphia show would have been the 19th on his 27-stop North American tour, part of the “How Did We Get Here?” world arena tour in support of his third studio album of the same name. His show a few days earlier at Madison Square Garden was sold out.

    Tomlinson and officials at the performing arts center said Saturday’s intense storm — which caused significant damage across the city, particularly in parts of West Philadelphia — left the venue grounds and some equipment damaged.

    On Reddit, a purported venue employee said there was flooding, downed trees, and power outages.

    The venue did not respond to a request for comment.

    “[I’m] absolutely gutted that the show can’t happen tonight,” Tomlinson said in an X post. “I understand how frustrating it is and how gutted you all must feel. I wish I had better news for you all.”

    Online, fans swapped stories about how far they had traveled for the show and how many of Tomlinson’s tour stops they had caught so far.

    One fan drove eight hours from North Carolina. Others attempted to snag tickets to shows scheduled for later dates.

    The extent of the Highmark Mann’s damage was unclear. Bob Dylan was scheduled to perform on the main stage — which has covered amphitheater seating, in contrast to the all-outdoor Highmark Skyline Stage — on Tuesday evening.

    Tomlinson’s next show was also set for Tuesday, at the TD Garden in Boston.

  • Beyoncé gave us her first new song in two years with surprise Fourth of July release

    Beyoncé gave us her first new song in two years with surprise Fourth of July release

    We have something else to celebrate this Independence Day: a new Beyoncé song.

    The iconic singer released “Morning Dew (Donk),” a sultry, ‘90s-coded R&B track, Saturday morning with no warning.

    It’s a special Fourth of July holiday gift to her fans, according to a news release about the song — and Queen Bey’s first piece of new music in two years.

    The single starts the clock on a 60-day countdown to the singer’s 45th birthday and the reissue of B’Day, her hit sophomore album that first dropped 20 years ago, on Sept. 4, 2006.

    Sorry, BeyHive, no word on Act III, the highly anticipated, unnamed, and unreleased final chapter of Beyoncé’s three-part album project. The Today show reported that fans shouldn’t expect any sort of Act III announcement this week.

    Act II, aka Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s award-winning foray into country music, was another example of the singer’s use of the Fourth of July holiday as a means to explore and challenge themes surrounding American identity, especially the Black and Southern experience. Last year, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter D.C. tour stop took place on the Fourth of July.

    View on Threads

    The show highlighted Black empowerment as Beyoncé opened the show wrapped in a large American flag, just a few miles from the U.S. Capitol.

    While it’s not the Act III fans have been waiting for, “Morning Dew (Donk)” is an exciting new portfolio addition.

    It was written by Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream and Darius Dixon, and produced by Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams. The song features Williams’ signature four-count producer tag.

  • New ‘Love Island’ contestant is a Drexel grad and ‘Jalen Hurts doppelganger’

    New ‘Love Island’ contestant is a Drexel grad and ‘Jalen Hurts doppelganger’

    A new bombshell has entered the villa, and it’s not Jalen Hurts — but, uh, close enough!

    Ronnie Gunter, a lacrosse player and recent Drexel graduate best known for his viral resemblance to the Eagles quarterback, made his TV debut Monday night.

    Sporting orange swim trunks and not much else, Gunter was one of 12 new men who entered the show on episode 18 of Love Island USA.

    It’s all part of Casa Amor, the mid-season twist where OG contestants split off into two villas and are forced to explore new connections. Gunter, 25, was one of a dozen men and six women who’ve been introduced to the show in the last two nights.

    He was also one of the men chosen to stay: Those 12 men were quickly cut to six in the same episode.

    Proving Philly is the center of the universe — even on a remote Fijian island and even at Casa Amor, Gunter was quick to tell North Philly native Melanie Moreno that he went to Drexel.

    In a prior episode, Moreno, 24, told her most consistent connection, Sincere Rhea — who’s from Cape May — that her dream first date for them would be to walk through Penn’s Landing.

    But with Rhea away at the other villa with new arm candy and the OG women forced to explore connections with their own new crop of islanders, Gunter stood out.

    He chose to kiss both Moreno and Jen Terry as part of a challenge and later won the women over by talking about family life and his cooking chops.

    “I want my wife sipping red wine on the countertop while I’m cooking,” he said. “I love to chef. Y’all will never go hungry with me around.”

    While attending college in Philly, where he majored in sports studies, Gunter achieved virality for his likeness to Hurts.

    Two years ago, in a TikTok reshared by accounts including ESPN, Gunter’s then-girlfriend (now-former Division I golfer and prominent sports broadcaster and social media personality Emma Carpenter) said he’d get mistaken for Hurts “everywhere we go.”

    @emmacarpenter

    No cuz it’s everywhere we go 😭

    ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) – Tommy Richman

    Gunter told The Inquirer at the time that the comparisons started coming around his sophomore year — along with stares and photo requests — but he welcomed the attention for the most part.

    “I think it’s funny. And I mean, he’s not a bad guy to be compared to,” he said. “It’s an awesome comparison to be mistaken for that guy.”

    Even Drexel’s Lacrosse program got in on the fun, posting on Instagram in 2023: “All we’re saying is that we’ve never seen @_ronniegunter and @jalenhurts together.”

    Notably, Gunter’s comparisons to Hurts — and his graduation from Drexel — predated the popular look-alike contests that popped up nationwide months later. A different ringer won Philly’s grassroots quest for a Hurts double.

    Born and raised in Minnesota before heading Northeast for school, Gunter lives in New York these days, where he works as a program director for the nonprofit Harlem Lacrosse.

    So far, no one on Love Island has made any comments about Gunter’s resemblance to Hurts. But there’s a lot more island time to play out.

  • York’s minor league team forfeits game over Pride Night jerseys, but celebrates anyway

    York’s minor league team forfeits game over Pride Night jerseys, but celebrates anyway

    There won’t be a Pride Night baseball game in York, Pa., but there was still a Pride Night at the ballpark.

    Hours before the minor league York Revolution’s annual Pride Night game was slated to take place Thursday night, the team announced it was forfeiting to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

    The decision stemmed from a dispute among several Revolution players who refused to wear the team’s special Pride edition jerseys, according to team officials.

    “The club decided that hosting the event is more important than forcing players to wear jerseys they are not comfortable with and playing the game,” The Revolution said in a statement. The statement added that the event would pivot into a Pride Night celebration “out of respect for the Pride Community and the York community as a whole.”

    The team said it’s treating the game as a rainout and ticketholders can redeem their tickets for another game of their choice this season. York plays in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent partner league of Major League Baseball.

    Thursday’s game would have marked the York Revolution’s 11th Pride Night. As part of the celebratory game, the team would wear white jerseys with rainbow sleeves and side panels, nodding to the Pride flag and “Pride” written in script on the back.

    According to NBC, the forfeit rose from “less than nine players” — the minimum number needed to fill a lineup card — on the 28-man roster being willing to play wearing Thursday’s Pride uniforms. The standoff led to an “unprecedented team meeting” where Revolution president and GM Ben Shipley told NBC he was unable to talk players into wearing the uniforms.

    “I’m disappointed that we’re at this point and I recognize the players’ plight and their unwillingness to cross their line. I also think tolerance is not acceptance,” Shipley said. “I was just asking for tolerance from the team and they were unwilling to navigate that with me.”

    In its statement, The Revolution added that the players’ action “is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York.” The team announced it would make a $10,000 donation to its local LGBTQ+ center, the Rainbow Rose Center, as a “small token of our regret” and show of continued support.

    York, about an hour-and-a-half outside of Philadelphia, has a historic Republican stronghold. In 2016, it gave President Donald Trump his biggest county-level win margin in Pennsylvania. There is a limited but growing LGBTQ+ scene. The first York County Pride celebration took place in 2022.

    The Human Rights Campaign, which releases Municipal Equality Index scores nationwide on cities’ LGBTQ+ support, does not have a score for York.

    The Revolution teammates’ refusal to wear Pride jerseys comes at a time when across the country, rights and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community remain a polarizing issue. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced this year according to the ACLU, centering around topics including gender affirmation, sports participation bans, drag show bans, and overall LGBTQ+ erasure.

    According to the minor league team, while Thursday wouldn’t have a game, attendees could still take tours of WellSpan Park, enjoy music, batting practice, and other activities. The now 32 unworn Pride jerseys were also listed on the team’s site Thursday night for auction with proceeds benefiting the Rainbow Rose Center.

  • The World Cup’s hottest accessory is this free bracelet, prompting hourslong lines

    The World Cup’s hottest accessory is this free bracelet, prompting hourslong lines

    The World Cup’s hottest accessory is free, but it’ll cost hours of your time.

    At the FIFA Fan Festival in Lemon Hill, fans watched Germany beat Curacao, the Netherlands and Japan draw, and Ecuador lose to Ivory Coast on Sunday. Between games, attendees bought snacks or tried their hand at sponsored booths for prizes. Lines ebbed and flowed. But one stretched across the field with seemingly no end in sight.

    A simple customizable charm bracelet has taken off at FIFA Fan Festivals nationwide, including Philly’s. The accessory has prompted wait times rivaling a Taylor Swift merch line, the latest sneaker drop, or John’s Water Ice during a record-breaking heat wave.

    @antonietadice

    The line never got any shorter. We watched the whole game, halftime, and hung around for two more hours… still the same. Maybe next time lmao 🥲 . #fifafanfestival #mundial2026 #philadelphia #worldcup2026 #parati

    ♬ Saxophones getting louder – Sped Up – AntonioVivald

    “Get there early!” TikTokers warned while showing off their new hardware. “I waited four hours,” one user wrote.

    Bank of America is the sponsor behind the giveaway. The company announced in a news release that it was armed with more than 2 million “Fan Bands” and 10 million beads.

    Mimicking a Pandora bracelet, the Fan Bands are composed of a red, blue, or black woven band and an assortment of metal beads that lace through. Available beads include numbers, flags, a FIFA World Cup trophy, and several city-specific designs that pair with World Cup host cities.

    City-specific designs include a cable car for San Francisco, Mount Rainier in Seattle, a yellow cab in New York City, and a lobster in Boston.

    Philadelphia’s city-specific charms include the Liberty Bell, a cheesesteak, the LOVE statue, Rocky’s boxing gloves, and Independence Hall. Visitors can either design a custom bracelet, selecting five beads, or opt for a faster pre-designed bracelet.

    The bracelets are completely free for Fan Festival attendees — no sign-ups or bank loyalty required, either. But be warned: The lines are serious.

    On Reddit, an attendee said visitors ran straight to the Bank of America booth when Philly’s Fan Fest opened and that they waited an hour and 20 minutes to get theirs. On TikTok, users said they waited anywhere from four to eight hours depending on when they arrived and their level of determination.

    The allegiance isn’t limited to Philadelphia. People attending Fan Fests in other cities are also complaining about the lines.

    In Dallas, one attendee noted: “more people [were] lining up for bracelets than watching the match.”

    And if waiting in lines isn’t your thing, Philly has another charm bracelet ready and waiting.

    Artist John Wind launched a collection of Philly charms in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday that feature the LOVE statue, a boxing glove, and even a soccer ball.

    The locally made bracelet, which is a collaboration with the Philadelphia Visitor Center, is $98.