Entertainment
Metro Nashville Selects Opry Entertainment Group to Operate Ascend Amphitheater

Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater is getting a new operator.
Metro Nashville has notified Ryman Hospitality Properties (RHP) that it intends to have RHP’s Opry Entertainment Group (OEG) operate Ascend Amphitheater for the next decade. The deal is subject to successful negotiation between the two parties. Axios first reported the news.
Colin Reed, executive chairman of RHP’s board of directors, tells Billboard he expects the negotiations to conclude within the next three months and that the 10-year contract will take effect Jan. 1, 2026. It’s a realization of a dream for RHP that began even before the 6,800-capacity outdoor venue opened in 2015. “We applied for this a decade ago when the city was deciding they were going to build [Ascend],” he says. “We and Live Nation bid 10 years ago. We loved the space then and we really love the space now.”
RHP has aready committed capital to “beautify the project,” Reed says. “Upgrade it and make it more of an experience for the consumer.”
RHP was selected over Live Nation and AEG. “We really put our front foot forward here, so we always thought we had a shot, but beating two companies that, quite candidly, we have a high degree of regard for — AEG, that handles all of our ticketing in all of our venues, as well as Live Nation, who we have a healthy relationship with — we were very pleased,” Reed adds.
Ascend has averaged 20 to 30 concerts a year, primarily during the summer season, but Reed says he expects to substantially expand activity at the venue.
A cap on 35 shows per year was put in place when the amphitheater opened because it is in a residential area, Reed says, but “the issue for us is this is one of the great pieces of real estate in the city of Nashville and how do we activate it for the other 330 days a year because it should not be kept fallow for that period of time. We can do daytime programming. We can do Opry Under the Stars. We’ve spent quite a bit of time talking with the symphony. There are multiple ways in which we can activate this space.” He is also eager to bring holiday offerings to the Ascend from Thanksgiving to the end of December.
Ascend will be an open room, meaning other promoters, including AEG and Live Nation, can promote shows there. “We want to maintain a good relationship with those businesses,” he says. “We’ll talk to anyone that wants to play this great city.”
Ryman Hospitality’s OEG also runs Nashville venues the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry House, in addition to having partnerships with Luke Combs‘ Category 10 venue and Blake Shelton‘s Ole Red.
Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Entertainment
Ed Sheeran, Weezer Added to 2025 Coachella Lineup

Ed Sheeran and Weezer were two previously unannounced acts spotted on the 2025 Coachella lineup when set times for the this year’s festival were posted on Saturday (April 5). They’ll each pop in for a one-day, daytime set.
Weezer will play the Mojave tent on Saturday afternoon (3:10-3:55 p.m.) on April 12, during the festival’s first weekend.
Sheeran takes a Saturday afternoon (3-4 p.m.) Mojave time slot on April 19, during weekend two. Both acts perform just before Yo Gabba Gabba!’s 4:45 p.m. set at the same stage.
Their addition to to the Coachella bill arrives ahead of several upcoming festival dates for Weezer, who’ve been celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1994 self-titled debut, known as The Blue Album. Sheeran also has a summer full of shows scheduled, and a just-released single, “Azizam,” from his upcoming album Play; “Azizam” means “my dear” in Farsi, and was inspired by producer Illya Salmanzadeh’s Persian heritage.
The lineup update comes just after FKA Twigs dropped out of the fest due to “ongoing visa issues.” Anitta also had to cancel her Coachella performance, citing “unexpected personal reasons.”
Lady Gaga, Green Day, Travis Scott and Post Malone are headlining the main Coachella stage at the Indio, California, festival taking place over the next two weekends, April 11-13 and April 18-20. Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion and Missy Elliott are also among the all-star music lineup.
See the full schedule of set times by scrolling through the Instagram slides below, or get all the details directly on Coachella’s website.
Entertainment
Deshonne Redeaux Shares His Game Day Playlist as He Commits to USC Football, With Help From Snoop Dogg & JuJu Watkins

Deshonne Redeaux just made his college commitment official — and he did it with the kind of hometown love story only Los Angeles can write.
The four-star running back from Carson, California, known for his speed, field vision and unshakable confidence, announced his commitment to the University of Southern California in a full-circle moment that brought two L.A. icons into the spotlight: Snoop Dogg and JuJu Watkins.
“It means a lot to have Snoop Dogg support me at one of my biggest moments,” Redeaux tells Billboard. “I played in his Snoop Youth Football League, and it pathed the way for me to reach my goal of getting a Division 1 college scholarship.”
Also featured in the announcement video (seen in the Instagram post above) was JuJu Watkins, USC’s breakout basketball star and a longtime friend. “JuJu supporting me at this time means so much to me because we grew up together and she has inspired me watching her make history in the city that raised her,” he says. “Can’t wait to share a campus with her, impact the community, and bring national championships back to the city!”
Redeaux says staying home and playing for USC was about more than football. “I choose USC because nothing is more powerful than impacting the hometown community and being the light in my own backyard,” he says. “Some of the determining factors were the amazing USC tradition and legacy — specifically at the running back position — and being a difference maker to bring the winning culture back to USC football and to the city of Los Angeles.”
To mark the occasion, Redeaux shared his ultimate game day hype playlist exclusively with Billboard, highlighting the music that keeps him focused and fired up before he hits the field.
“Drake featuring Rick Ross, ‘Lord Knows’ — the message behind the song is all about motivation and reflection,” he says. “And with the Lord’s guidance, you can accomplish anything. It really gets me in my mode!”
When it’s tunnel time, he turns to NBA YoungBoy’s “Head Blown.” “It puts me into dog mentality to be a lock in the field,” he says.
Other key tracks include J. Cole’s “Love Yourz,” Ginuwine’s “Same Ol G” and Nipsey Hussle’s “Dedication.”
“I’m most excited about strapping it up for the first time at the Coliseum — that will be a dream come true,” he says. “I want to give back to the youth and always show up for the next generation.”
Check out Deshonne Redeaux’s full Game Day Hype Playlist below, featuring Playboi Carti, EBK Jayboo, SWV, Lil Durk, Icewear Vezzo, BlueBucksClan and more.
Entertainment
Jared Leto’s ‘Tron: Ares’ Character Comes to Life in Thrilling First Teaser: Watch the Trailer

Tron is back.
On Saturday (April 5), Disney unveiled the first trailer for Tron: Ares, the third installment in the Tron franchise, following the original 1982 film and its 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy.
The new trailer offers a glimpse of a dark, brooding landscape where reality and the virtual world collide. The minute-and-a-half-long clip opens with a high-speed chase between the police and programs riding futuristic motorcycles. From there, it delivers a visual feast of laser-filled action and intense, electrifying sound effects, all set to a pulsating soundtrack. Midway through, Jeff Bridges — who reprises his role as Kevin Flynn from the original film — can be heard saying, “Ready? ‘Cause there’s no going back,” as Jared Leto‘s Ares character digitally comes to life.
Featuring original music by Nine Inch Nails, Tron: Ares also stars Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro and Gillian Anderson. The upcoming sci-fi film is set to hit theaters on Oct. 10.
Directed by Joachim Rønning, the movie serves as the sequel to Tron: Legacy, which featured a score by Daft Punk that reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
It was confirmed at Disney’s D23 in 2024 that NIN would be composing the score for Tron: Ares, with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross making the announcement during a teaser for the film. The duo has collaborated on numerous film and television scores over the years, including Challengers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Soul and The Social Network. Tron: Ares marks the first time the Oscar-winning pair’s film music will be credited under the Nine Inch Nails name.
Watch the first trailer for Tron: Ares below.
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