Beyoncé closed the curtain on her record-breaking Cowboy Carter Tour July 26 with a triumphant Las Vegas finale at Allegiant Stadium. During her final performance, she pulled out all the stops with special appearances by JAY-Z and Shaboozey, along with a long-awaited reunion with her Destiny’s Child mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
The two-night capacity-filled Allegiant Stadium became a part of music history by capping a sold-out 32-date transatlantic stadium run making it the highest grossing country tour of all time as reported by Billboard.
With this nine-city run, Beyoncé has extended two records — as the highest-grossing Black artist of all time and the highest-grossing R&B artist of all time — and becomes the first woman and the first American act to have two separate tours gross over $400 million.
Continuing her philanthropic efforts, the BeyGOOD Foundation exceeded $3 million in direct community investment by helping communities with programs in entrepreneurship, scholarships and disaster response, including helping those affected by the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area during the tour.
TICKET WATCH: Commemorating her second landmark album, Erykah Badu: Mama’s Gun ’25: The Return of Automatic Slim Tour kicks off Oct. 3 at the Hollywood Bowl. Ticketmaster.com has your seats beginning Aug. 1 at 10 a.m.
STAR TIME: Hip hop icon and actor Busta Rhymes (“Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” “Break Ya Neck,” and “Touch It”) will be honored with the 2,818th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Aug. 1 at 11:30 a.m. in a ceremony with the participation of Chris Rock, LL Cool J, Chuck D and Big Boy. The event at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. will be streamed live exclusively at walkoffame.com on a day that also sees the theater release of the reboot of “The Naked Gun” in which Busta appears.
STAGE LIGHTS: Gina Belafonte directs “If I Awaken in Los Angeles,” a multimedia production blending spoken word, music, dance and video at The Ford on Aug. 1 with special guests Derrick Hodge, Indigenous hip-hop duo T H R O N E, Da Poetry Lounge co-founder and actor Dante Basco, Quincy Jones’ self-proclaimed “secret weapon” Sekou Andrews, rapper and activist Jason Chu, and more.
DOING HIS DUTY: “Muddy [Waters], [Howlin’] Wolf, [Little] Walter, Sonny Boy [Williamson], B.B. [King], I could go on and on. Before they passed, they used to say, ‘Man, if you outlive me, just keep the blues alive,’ and I’m trying to keep that promise.” – Guitarist BUDDY GUY (featured in “Sinners”) on his new album “Ain’t Done with the Blues” with special guests Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and The Blind Boys of Alabama released on his 89th birthday June 30.
CLIPPETTES: The Hollywood Bowl’s historic production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” headlined by Cynthia Erivo, Adam Lambert and Josh Gad, is being staged for three consecutive nights beginning Aug. 1 …
Also that date, Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour with Wale, Fridayy, Amerie and Elijah Blake comes to the Peacock Theater while Wake The Wild with special guest Lyric Jones is at the Hotel Café …
In addition, beginning two-night stands that night are legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo and Family celebrating his 90th birthday at Catalina Bar and Grill and Lady Gaga at The Forum …
Aug. 2 arrives with a trio of free shows: Mario, Jeremih, Bobby V, Pleasure P and more at Pershing Square beginning at 3 p.m.; Esperanza Spalding at The Music Center; and Ozomatli at Burton Chace Park …
Meanwhile, Smokey Robinson is at The Greek; Frank McComb at The Sun Rose; Reed’s Creeds at The World Stage; singer/songwriter Maritri & Friends at The Stowaway; and Toyota Arena hosts Always & Forever Part Deux featuring the Spinners, the Chi-Lites, Heat Wave, Rose Royce, the Intruders, the Stylistics, Tierra, the Moments, Eddie Holman, Sunny and the Sunliners, a special all-vinyl set by DJ Quik and a massive patio pre-party hosted by G Money and Thump Records …
Sheila Ducksworth and Michele Val Jean, executive producers of CBS’ Black soap opera “Beyond The Gates,” told the Hollywood Reporter that Gizelle Bryant and Dr. Wendy Osefo from “The Real Housewives of the Potomac” would be appearing and that “a hot male longtime soap fans all know and love” would be joining the cast …
Boogie Nights with Cameo, Dazz Band, One Way, Evelyn “Champagne” King and Mary Jane Girls at Pershing Square is free Aug. 3 with RSVP at EventBrite.com …
Sun Ra Arkestra docks at the Lodge Room for a Big Band Swing Set Aug. 4 and an Outer-Space Jazz Set Aug. 5 …
Big Sean’s “Into The W!LD Tour” with Russ & Sabrina Claudio comes to Intuit Dome on Aug. 5 as Vibrato Jazz Grill Presents Kandace Lindsey’s “To Brasil with Love” …
Ghanaian born, L.A.-based artist, healer and musician Jojo Abot and Brooklyn-based, retro-inspired female funk band Say She She perform a free concert at Skirball Cultural Center while Wiz Khalifa’s “Good Vibes Only Tour Part 2: Smoker’s Edition” with Dom Kennedy, Earl Sweatshirt, Curren$y, Ab Soul and more arrives Aug. 7 at YouTube Theater.
TASTY QUIP: “Trump is trying to throw every Black person he can think [of] in front of the [Jeffrey Epstein] scandal to distract us. First, he released the Martin Luther King Jr. files. Then he accused Obama of treason. And now he wants to prosecute Oprah and Beyoncé? Who’s next? Michael Jordan? Michael B. Jordan? Michael C. Jordan? We’re about a week away from him saying that Urkel did 9/11. Urkel? Did he do that?” – JESSICA WILLIAMS (“Shrinking”) on “The Daily Show.”
TC ON TV: Aug. 1 – “Eyes of Wakanda” (Disney+): From executive producer Ryan Coogler comes a four-part animated anthology series charting the history of the realm of Marvel’s “Black Panther” with Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Lynn Whitfield, Gary Anthony Williams and Anika Noni Rose supplying voices. “Chief of War” (Apple TV+): This epic nine-episode series starring, executive produced and written by Jason Momoa “follows the epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonization of Hawai‘i at the turn of the 18th century.” “Final Destination: Bloodlines” (HBO Max): Featuring the late Tony Todd‘s curtain call as Bludworth. “Family Tree” (AMC+/Sundance Now): Debut director Jennifer MacArthur explores sustainable forestry in North Carolina through the stories of two Black families working to preserve their land and legacy. “Ready To Love” (OWN): The remainder of the Philadelphia men get to meet the women’s exes — one of whom tries to win her back — right in front of her current connection.
Aug. 2 – “Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony” (ESPN): Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe enter. “If I Run” (Lifetime): Kat Graham (“Tyler Perry’s Duplicity”) is executive producer and star of this adaptation of best-selling author Terri Blackstock‘s book about a woman on the run after being framed for her best friend’s murder. “Heart & Hustle: Houston” (OWN): A new series following a sisterhood of successful Black women thriving in the heart of the city.
Aug. 3 – “1,000 Ways To Dine” (A&E): Hosted by actor and comedian Michael Yo, the series goes off-the-beaten-path and showcases the most exciting, unique and outrageously delicious restaurants in the world. “The Chi” (SHO): The seventh season ends.
Aug. 6 – “The Pickup” (Prime): “Usually I’m the young maverick guy and now I’m the old voice of reason,” said Eddie Murphy to “Today” of his role in this movie with Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer. “If you whip somebody’s ass when you’re [my] age, you kinda whip your own ass too! Take his ass to the hospital and take my ass as well!” “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” (Prime): Season three finds Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) and her loyal crew embarking on international escapades. With voices by Billy Porter, Cedric the Entertainer, Karen Malina White, Paula Jai Parker, and Tommy Davidson.
Aug. 7 – “Demascus” (Tubi): A six-episode half-hour comedic sci-fi series about a Black man’s tech fueled self-discovery starring Okieriete Onaodowan, Janet Hubert and Martin Lawrence. “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Elle Duncan of ESPN is the guest co-host. “Family Recipe Showdown” (Food): Guest judge Kandi Burruss joins host Octavia Spencer and head judge Edgar “Dook” Chase for a seafood showdown. “Necaxa” (FXX/Hulu): Eva Longoria, in partnership with Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds of “Welcome to Wrexham,” is the focus of this docuseries on her investment and attempt to reignite the soul of one of Mexico’s oldest and most storied football clubs.
END QUOTE: “There’s wonder in every single moment of (life) if we have our minds right. But when we don’t have our mind set, we go this other way, you know. And I question these things as I continue in my little journey in life, trying to refine my own self. I think this is why we’re human. I think that’s why we’re born. We’re supposed to work on ourselves.” – PHYLICIA RASHAD to the Charlotte Observer
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
