Today in Music History

After two pandemic-related postponements, Harry Styles finally began his Love On Tour in Las Vegas. The tour consisted of 169 shows, lasted nearly two years, sold five million tickets and grossed $617 million, more than One Direction earned throughout their entire career.

Singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo returned to number one on the Billboard 200 for the third time with her debut studio album Sour. The album reached number one in 18 countries worldwide and won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. It also featured three US Top Three singles, including the number-one hits “Drivers License” and “Deja Vu.”

A US court dismissed a man's lawsuit against Nirvana over the iconic cover of the 1991 album Nevermind, which depicts him as a naked baby. Spencer Elden claimed that his photograph constituted child sexual abuse, but the judge ruled that he had brought the claim too late.

Diana Ross made a surprise appearance at a Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles to wish her a happy 42nd birthday. After singing her hit “Love Hangover,” Ross led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday.”

Gary Wright, known for the songs “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive,” died at the age of 80 from Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia. He helped form Spooky Tooth and later played keyboards on George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass and on recordings by Ringo Starr. “Dream Weaver” reached number two in the US in 1976 and was inspired by the book Autobiography of a Yogi, which George Harrison had given him.

Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell died at the age of 56 from liver failure.

Oasis announced two additional concerts at Wembley Stadium in London due to “unprecedented demand” for tickets for their reunion tour. The band said all ticketing platforms had struggled to cope with the demand. In the same statement, Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher and the other members publicly distanced the band from Ticketmaster's decision to use dynamic pricing during the sale. This led to an angry reaction from fans on social media.

It was discovered that David Bowie had begun work on another project before his death. In his own notes, he described it as an “18th-century musical” titled The Spectator. Its existence was unknown until it was discovered locked away in his study. The materials were later donated to the V&A museum along with another part of Bowie's archive. Had it been completed, the musical would have fulfilled one of Bowie's lifelong ambitions.

While performing as Ed Sheeran's opening act at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore gave a speech calling for the “liberation of Palestine.” This angered some promoters of upcoming concerts, who removed him from the tour. The move led some other Sheeran opening acts to leave as well, including Finneas, who said artists should not be silenced when speaking in support of oppressed people.