The CountTOUR TIDBITS: LIL WAYNE, JIN, TIM MCGRAW
WEEZY DOES IT: Lil Wayne will celebrate the 6/6 release of his new Young Money/Republic album, Tha Carter VI, with his first Madison Square Garden headlining show, which will take place that night.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow (4/23). Wayne, who's booked by UTA's Mike G, will visit the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on 4/26 and a handful of U.S. arenas in May.
As for Tha Carter VI, Wayne recently told Rolling Stone that it will feature such guests as Andrea Bocelli (?!), Miley Cyrus, Machine Gun Kelly and Wyclef Jean. HITS' awesome freestyle must have been "accidentally" erased.
THE ECHO EFFECT: BTS' Jin will play doubles in six international arenas this summer as part of his maiden solo tour, supporting his second solo LP, Echo (BIGHIT, 5/16).
The Live Nation-promoted #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR starts 7/17 in Anaheim, California, and proceeds to Dallas, Tampa, Newark, London and Amsterdam. LN promises "full-scale live production backed by a full band," which is about on par with what to expect at HITS' weekly editorial meeting.
Cut through the myriad presales by registering with BTS' ARMY fan organization through 4/27 for the first shot at tickets.
PUT HIM IN, COACH: In something of a tribute to his late father, pro baseball pitcher Tug McGraw, Tim McGraw will headline an 8/2 concert before the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It will be the first MLB contest ever played in the state.
Booked by CAA's Rod Essig, McGraw will bring along as-yet-unannounced "special guest artists and longtime collaborators" for the gig, portions of which will be broadcast by Fox.
The baseball theme will continue on 8/30 when McGraw performs at the stadium built on the Dyersville, Iowa, set of the beloved Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams. Just do not throw high and inside at James Earl Jones, mmmmkay?