Louder: Live Music Is Back! (Live Music Is Back?)

August 13, 2021

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

On June 20, Jon Caramanica and I went to Madison Square Garden together for the first time in ages. Foo Fighters were playing the arena’s first rock show in over a year. Vaccines were required, masks were shed, heads were banged, beers were drank. (One of us engaged in the latter two, at least. I’m enjoying iced coffee out of my commemorative cup right now.)

It was the beginning of a six-week journey for Jon, who traveled around the country visiting clubs, honky-tonks, festivals and theaters, experiencing both the brief moment of bliss when live music felt largely safe again, and the creeping, increasingly anxious sensation that things were starting to unravel as the Delta variant raged on. But in between, there was music, people, energy, sweat, exhilaration, disappointment, shouting, soundboards, sightlines, adrenaline, annoyance, exhaling — all the elements of live performance that were missing over 15 months of watching music mostly alone, mostly on screens. His report from the road, filled with magnificent pictures in a lovely presentation by our photo and design teams, is a must-read, as is Ben Sisario’s snapshot of the live business in flux today.

Also this week: two powerful profiles by Joe Coscarelli — Lorde, chucking any idea of what her career should be into the ocean, and Bobby Shmurda, coming back from prison with a fresh perspective on his path. And Jon Pareles’s great conversation with Jennifer Hudson about portraying Aretha Franklin in the new film “Respect.”

Plus Isabelia Herrera dissects the reggaeton podcast “Loud,” Reggie Ugwu reflects on his relationship with Jay-Z’s “retirement” LP “The Black Album” and a major development in the Britney Spears conservatorship case.

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Live Music Is Back! (Live Music Is Back?)

As the concert business amped up again, our critic booked six weeks seeing shows in honky-tonks, clubs and arenas. But concerns about Covid-19 became the unannounced guest on nearly every lineup.

By Jon Caramanica

Whiplash for the Concert Business as the Delta Variant Rages On

Some tours and festivals are canceling, but others are forging ahead. As Covid-19 cases rise in the United States, artists weigh the risks and benefits of getting back on the road.

By Ben Sisario

PROFILES

Justin J Wee for The New York Times

Lorde’s Work Here Is Done. Now, She Vibes.

She was a teen phenom who followed her hit “Royals” with a critically acclaimed album. But now 24, the New Zealand musician isn’t chasing hits. She’s following the sun.

By Joe Coscarelli

Jennifer Hudson Knew Aretha Franklin. To Play Her, She Had to Learn More.

For the new biopic “Respect,” the singer researched the life of a yearslong friend and role model to better understand the circumstances that shaped her.

By Jon Pareles

Bobby Shmurda’s New Lust for Life

The Brooklyn rapper, fresh off nearly seven years in prison on gang conspiracy charges, is plotting his dance-heavy comeback — slowly.

By Joe Coscarelli

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Jay-Z’s ‘Black Album’ Helped Me Beat the Odds. Will We Finally Even Them?

In 2003, our writer absorbed the rapper’s message of individual triumph. But in a new moment of collective action, it’s time to write new rules.

By Reggie Ugwu

THE CRITICS & POPCAST

Critic’s Notebook

Reggaeton’s History Is Complex. A New Podcast Helps Us Listen That Way.

“Loud” asks us to reconsider mainstream histories of the genre, and reveals critical conversations about its roots and evolution.

By Isabelia Herrera

The Playlist

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Team Up Again, and 10 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Lizzo featuring Cardi B, Machine Gun Kelly, Brandee Younger and others.

By Jon Pareles, Giovanni Russonello and Lindsay Zoladz

Billie Eilish’s New Pop Perspective

How has the teenage phenomenon’s songwriting, and her relationship to the larger music machine, evolved between albums?

‘Respect’ Review: Giving a Queen Her Propers

Jennifer Hudson plays Aretha Franklin in a movie that follows many of the usual biographical beats but finds its own groove.

By Manohla Dargis

Surfacing

The Hidden Melodies of Subways Around the World

When train doors close, these jingles warn riders to stand clear.

By Sophie Haigney, Denise Lu, Gabriel Gianordoli and Umi Syam

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Britney Spears’s Father Says He Will Step Aside in Conservatorship Battle

Lawyers for James P. Spears said he intended to work with the court to assure “an orderly transition to a new conservator,” while arguing that he should not be immediately removed.

By Joe Coscarelli and Liz Day

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Nicki Minaj and Husband Sued, Accused of Harassing Sexual Assault Victim

Jennifer Hough said in a lawsuit filed in New York that the couple pressured her to recant her account of the rapper’s husband, Kenneth Petty, sexually assaulting her in 1994.

By Julia Jacobs

Britney Spears Judge Denies Motion to Expedite Hearing About Her Father

A judge overseeing the singer’s case ruled that a court date to address removing or suspending James P. Spears as conservator would remain scheduled for September.

By Joe Coscarelli

As R. Kelly’s Trial Begins, Here’s a Timeline of the Allegations

The R&B singer has faced a trail of accusations since 1996. On Monday, he goes on trial in Brooklyn.

By Laura Zornosa and Jacey Fortin

The Charts

Billie Eilish, 21st-Century Pop Paragon, Hits No. 1 With Big Vinyl Sales

“Happier Than Ever” debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 with 54 percent of its total from physical formats.

By Ben Sisario

OBITUARIES

Bobby Bank/WireImage

Walter Yetnikoff, Powerful but Abrasive Record Executive, Dies at 87

Mr. Yetnikoff led CBS Records during the boom years that included Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album. Then he fell from grace.

By Neil Genzlinger

Nanci Griffith, Singer Who Mixed Folk and Country, Dies at 68

In a career that began in Texas and spanned five decades, she was praised by critics for the thoughtful storytelling of her lyrics.

By Jordan Allen

Kelli Hand, Detroit D.J. and Music Industry Trailblazer, Dies at 56

In 2017, the Detroit City Council honored Ms. Hand as the “first lady of Detroit” for her contributions, which included breaking into a male-dominated techno music scene.

By Johnny Diaz

Those We’ve Lost

Jacob Desvarieux, Guitarist Who Forged Zouk Style, Dies at 65

His band, Kassav’, found millions of listeners as it held on to Caribbean roots while reaching out to the world. He died of Covid-19.

By Jon Pareles

Paul Cotton, Mainstay of the Country-Rock Band Poco, Dies at 78

He joined the band for its third album and expanded its emotional and stylistic palette with his sinewy, blues-inflected guitar work and brooding baritone vocals.

By Bill Friskics-Warren