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Eminem & Rihanna’s Monster Tour Roars to Life at Rose Bowl: Concert Review

Eminem & Rihanna's Monster tour kicked off at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on Aug. 7. Read our review of the co-headlining stadium tour

By Steve Baltin

Steve Baltin

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Eminem & Rihanna ‘s long-awaited Monster tour, which kicked off Aug. 7 in Los Angeles at a sold-out Rose Bowl, is billed as a co-headlining tour between the two music superstars, and the pair treated the show as if they were equals, starting and ending together. However, sharing the stage with Eminem is like playing one-on-one with LeBron James or acting with Daniel Day-Lewis. Eminem is, as he reminded everyone last weekend at Lollapalooza , one of the half dozen most compelling performers in music today.

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That was evident from the outset of the show, which opens with a short Silence of the Lambs -inspired film that finds Sopranos star Michael Imperioli walking Rihanna down a San Quentin prison hall. As she saunters into a cell, just the back of Eminem’s head and trademark blonde hair appeared on the screen and the Rose Bowl crowd lost their collective minds.

Keeping with the motif in the opening “Numb,” Rihanna started the show on her own, only to have a platform rise on the side of the stage where Eminem, strapped to a stretcher a la Hannibal Lecter, emerged mid-song. Like the Jay-Z and Beyonce On The Run tour (both shows hit the Rose Bowl this week, coincidently) there is a fair amount of interaction between the two headliners.

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Following “Won’t Back Down,” the Rihanna portion of the night, which lasted for almost an hour, began with her highlighting her vocals on an impressive and impassioned “What Now.” The song was one of her highpoints, along with the gorgeous “Stay” and the reggae track “Man Down,” and the dance-heavy “Where Have You Been.”

The one drawback to Rihanna’s set, which admittedly had fans going crazy, was how produced it felt at times, with the numerous backup dancers joining her for choreographed moves on songs like “Cake” and “Rude Boy,” distracting from the performance. It’s hard to digest her pop polish when she’s on the same bill with someone as raw and intense as Eminem. Every time Marshal Mathers emerged on stage, he was a lightning rod for attention, like when he reappeared at the end of her set to join in on a stunning “Love The Way You Lie.”

After the song ended and Rihanna walked offstage, Eminem said simply, “California, let’s go!” And with that, the Monster tour went off. “Square Dance,” “Marshall Matters,” “Stan,” with Rihanna singing the Dido “Thank You” refrain,” an anthemic “The Way I Am,” “Berzerk” — it was one knockout performance after another. And his lightning speed delivery on “Rap God” was simply jaw-dropping.

Eminem & Rihanna Share Instagram Pic of Final Rehearsal

Just as Rihanna’s best moments came when she let her stage persona go and showed her warmth, Eminem shone as he introduced “I’m Not Afraid.” “This song I want to dedicate to anyone who ever lost anyone to addiction,” he said, referencing his own battles with the disease by adding, “I could not have gotten through it without you.”

Rihanna then returned for her encores, coming back for both “Diamonds” and “We Found Love,” before Eminem delivered “Lose Yourself.” Fittingly, the almost three-hour show ended with both performing “The Monster.”

Set List (+ both/ * Rihanna solo/ ** Eminem solo)

“Numb” + “No Love (Don’t Hurt Me)” + “Run This Town” + “Live Your Life” * “Crack a Bottle” ** “Won’t Back Down” + “What Now” * “Phresh Out the Runway” * “Cake” * “Talk That Talk” * “Rude Boy” * “What’s My Name?” (remixed with Trey Songz’ “Na Na”) * “Pour It Up” * “Cockiness (Love It)” * “Man Down” * “You Da One” * “Wait Your Turn” * “Jump” * “Umbrella” * “All of the Lights” * “Rockstar 101? * “Where Have You Been” * “Stay” * “Love the Way You Lie” + “3 a.m.” ** “Square Dance” ** “Business” ** “My Dad’s Gone Crazy” ** “Evil Deeds” ** “Rap God” ** “Marshall Matters” ** “Still Don’t Give a F–k” ** “Criminal” ** “The Way I Am” ** “Airplanes” (Paramore cover) + “Stan” + “Like Toy Soldiers” ** “Forever” (Drake cover) ** “Berzerk” ** “Till I Collapse” ** “Cinderella Man” ** “The Real Slim Shady” ** “Without Me” ** “Not Afraid” ** “Diamonds” * “We Found Love” (Acoustic & Regular Versions) * “Lose Yourself” ** “The Monster” +

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Review: 15 thoughts on eminem & rihanna’s ‘monster’ tour.

By Adelle Platon

Adelle Platon

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Clocking in a handful of collaborations is automatic grounds for two artists to embark on a joint tour these days. Jay Z and Justin Timberlake did it. Hov did it again with Beyoncé. Drake and Wayne are going at it as Chris Brown and Trey Songz are cashing in. But when Rihanna and Eminem step into the fold, is there sense besides dollar signs to put two of music’s biggest chart toppers on the same bill? Behold, 15 thoughts on the “Monster” experience.

1. Taking a play out of the Carters’ book , the show at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium (Aug. 16) opened with a mini-film. Rihanna puts her best Olivia Pope face on and pays Eminem, a surprisingly funny lunatic, a visit at the Attica correctional facility. It’s a spin-off off their therapy session depicted in their “ Monster ” music video, and proof that their chemistry on-wax extends to the screen. Makes you wonder if they’re this comfy with each other IRL and text each other after watching an episode of Breaking Bad to dissect their inner demons.

2. Psychological fancies aside, the two are highly capable of making crowds lose their minds. Starting with the Unapologetic cut “Numb”, where Marshall Mathers emerges in a straight jacket, the overall theme for the show was saluting those who are, in Em’s words, “fucked up mentally.” No illegal substance required.

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3. The ratchet never leaves Rihanna , who rocks white Doc Martens and a Motley Crüe shirt for majority of the show. She dutty wines through an hour’s worth of her risque pop hits, including the turn-up tune “Pour It Up” and every female’s birthday anthem “Cake.”

4. Even with a dearth of new material, Rihanna’s kept her multi-pierced ears to the charts, borrowing Trey Songz’ “Na Na” for a remix of “What’s My Name?”, and telling the Tri-State area, “Y’all like this shit!”

5. But when it comes to the battle of the solo sets, Em is the victor. His live renditions of vintage Marshall (“Just Don’t Give A Fuck”) mirrors the HQ album versions. Neck veins popping, he can go from deep cuts to Slim Shady silly real quick.

6. Rihanna filling in for other females on Eminem’s lineup, like Dido on “Stan” and Hayley Williams for “Airplanes” was a nice bonus. The mashup of “Renagade” and “Run The Town”, as well as “Won’t Back Down” and “What Now” made the sets more cohesive, similar to Justin Timberlake on Jay & Pharrell’s “I Just Wanna Love U” or Bey subbing in for Mr. Hudson on “Young Forever.”

7. The bad gal’s nipples also make an appearance. She showcased the pierced tatas that got her booted off Instagram through a sheer mesh bra towards the end of the night.

8. Style-wise, Rih channeled more of her masculine side, taking a cue from Schoolboy Q and performing the latter half of the show in a white bucket hat.

9. Em’s stage wardrobe remains consistent to his 8 Mile counterpart: hoodie, shorts, Nike sneakers (he chose two pairs of Air Maxes for this show), cap and signature mean mug.

10. Speaking of B-Rabbit, the Grammy-winning “Lose Yourself” rings off in the stadium. All the world loves an underdog.

11. A Shady Stan held up a sign that said “Fack!” which caught Em’s eye. “That might actually be the greatest song I ever made,” he says before promising to perform “that shit” live someday. That said shit comes (literally) off the 2005 Curtain Call collection, that gives a vivid recount of Eminem doing the sex and on the verge of erupting.

12. Given Rihanna’s live performances in the past, specifically her highly ambitious 777 tour (where she performed her seventh LP Unapologetic in 7 different countries in 7 days), the Bajan boombox has a tendency to flip the mic to the crowd instead of tackle her high notes head-on.

13. There were no standard requests from the entertainers for cell phone light shows. There were fireworks at the ready. Can’t find that at “On The Run” tour, IJS.

14. Eminem shouts out New Jersey native Redman and rallies the crowd into a call-and-response of “I’m fucked up” and “I’m high as hell.” Unfortunately, no cameo from Mr. Red, despite Twitter’s wishes.

15. Motor City’s golden child’s rap gymnastics are a marvel to see, especially when he spits the Marshall Mathers LP 2 lead single “Rap God” live. Miss him with the grandiose stage set or flashy chains, all Mr. Mathers needs is a mic, his hype man Mr. Porter, and DJ, Alchemist. There was no need to have Rih gyrate on him during their performances together, either. Believe that when he loses himself in the moment, he owns it. —Adelle Platon (@adelleplaton)

SETLIST “Numb” “No Love (Don’t Hurt Me)” “Run This Town” “Live Your Life” “Crack a Bottle” “Won’t Back Down” “What Now” “Phresh Out the Runway” “Cake” “Talk That Talk” “Rude Boy” “What’s My Name” “Pour It Up” “Cockiness (Love It)” “Jump” “Umbrella” “All of the Lights” “Rockstar 101? “Where Have You Been” “Stay” “Love The Way You Lie” “3 a.m.” “Square Dance” “Business” “Kill You” “Evil Deeds” “Rap God” “Marshall Matters” “Still Don’t Give a Fuck” “Criminal” “The Way I Am” “Airplanes” (B.o.B. cover) “Stan” “Like Toy Soldiers” “Forever” (Drake cover) “Berzerk” “Till I Collapse” “Cinderella Man” “My Name Is” “The Real Slim Shady” “Without Me” “Not Afraid” “Diamonds” “We Found Love” “Lose Yourself” “The Monster”

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Eminem & Rihanna "The Monster Tour" Dates, Set List

Eminem and Rihanna have announced their three-city  The Monster Tour , slated to kick off in August. 

Eminem and Rihanna, who collaborated on 2013’s “The Monster,” a cut off Em’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 , plan on stopping in three cities for this tour, New York, Los Angeles and Detroit. 

“There are some shows coming up with Rihanna,” Eminem said in an interview XXL . “It’s a three-city tour: New York, L.A. and Detroit coming in August. The Monster Tour .”

Rihanna spoke about working with Eminem during a January 2013 interview with  Complex .

“The moment I worked with him on ‘Love the Way You Lie,’ I wanted to work with him again, and we did ‘Love the Way You Lie Part 2,'” Rihanna said at the time . “And then I wanted to work with him again. I just love working with Eminem. He’s just one of my favorite rappers, and his lyrics—he’s a true poet, and I enjoy that about him. For this song, I needed someone with not only his skill, but his personality. And I needed someone who really understands the perspective and the metaphor in the song of going numb and being numb to everything around and to say, ‘Fuck you.’ Eminem is definitely the perfect guy for that.”

(February 21, 2014)

UPDATE: Eminem and Rihanna have revealed the tour dates for their upcoming The Monster Tour .

“This August, Eminem and Rihanna will be co-headlining a series of stadium shows for The Monster Tour,” Eminem’s website says . “The tour will kick off in Los Angeles on Thursday, August 7 at the Rose Bowl with shows then lined up in New York City’s Metlife Stadium on Saturday, August 16 and Detroit’s Comerica Park on Friday, August 22.” 

On March 20, American Express card members are set to have the opportunity to buy presale tickets. On March 22, Facebook fans who follow Eminem are scheduled to have early access to purchase tickets to the tour. On March 27, Live Nation app users are slated to have access to presale tickets, and on March 28, tickets for all three concerts are set to go on sale at livenation.com and the Live Nation app. 

(March 19, 2014) 

UPDATE  #2: Eminem has released the following image of himself with Rihanna during a  The Monster Tour  rehearsal.

(July 30, 2014)

UPDATE #3:  Eminem and Rihanna kicked off their  Monster Tour  in Pasadena, California’s Rose Bowl yesterday (August 7) and the duo ran through a set list full of hits, according to MTV ‘s Nadeska Alexis. 

The set list includes “Numb,” “Love The Way You Lie” and “The Monster” as well as solo works from both artists. It was broken down into four acts by MTV. Act 1 features both performers, Act 2 is a Rihanna solo set, Act 3 begins with Em and Rih Rih before becoming a solo Eminem hour and Act 4 is all about the duo joining forces. 

Act One 1. “Numb” 2. “No Love” 3. “Run This Town/Renegade” 4. “Live Your Life” 5. “Crack A Bottle” 6. “Won’t Back Down”

Act Two 7. “What Now” 8. “Phresh Out the Runway” 9. “Birthday Cake” 10. “Talk That Talk” 11. “Rude Boy” 12. “What’s My Name?” 13. “Pour it Up” 14. “Cockiness” 15. “Man Down” 16. “You Da One” 17. “Wait Your Turn” 18. “Jump” 19. “Umbrella” 20. “All of the Lights” (snippet) 21. “Rockstar” 22. “Where Have You Been” 23. “Stay” 

Act Three 24. “Love the Way You Lie” 25. “3a.m.” 26. “Square Dance” 27. “Business” 28. “Kill You” 29. “Evil Deeds” 30. “Rap God” 31. “Marshall Mathers” 32. “Just Don’t Give A F–k” 33. “Criminal” 34. “The Way I Am” 35. “Airplanes” (with Rihanna) 36. “Stan”(with Rihanna) 37. Sing For the Moment 38. “Toy Soldiers” 39. “Forever” 40. “Berzerk” 41. “Till I Collapse” 42. “Cinderella Man” 43. “My Name Is” 44. “The Real Slim Shady” 45. “Without Me” 46. “Not Afraid”

Act Four 47. “Diamonds” 48. “We Found Love” 49. “Lose Yourself” 50. “The Monster”

RELATED:  Eminem “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklisting

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Eminem And Rihanna Play 48 Songs As They Kick Off 'The Monster' Tour

8 August 2014, 09:46

It was one of the most anticipated tours in recent history, and Eminem and Rihanna didn't disappoint at they kicked off 'The Monster' tour in Pasadena, California last night (7th July) with a 48 song set.

The concert saw Eminem and Rihanna alternately intertwine their back catalogues, as well as share the stage during collaborations including 'The Monster' and 'Love The Way You Lie'.

The gig has only just finished, but fortunately these Instagram videos give us a taste of what went down. (Warning: these videos contain strong language that some people may find offensive.)

Here's Eminem performing 'Love Yourself.

While Rihanna completely shut things down with her T.I. collaboration 'Live Your Life'.

Eminem and Rihanna go head to head.

And the pair also collaborated on their hit 'Love The Way You Lie'.

And 'The Monster'.

Eminem and Rihanna's tour continues tonight in California before calling at major cities all across the US.

Eminem and Rihanna's 'The Monster' tour setlist:

1) “Numb” – Both 2) “No Love (Don’t Hurt Me)” – Both 3) “Run This Town” – Both 4) “Live Your Life” – Rihanna 5) “Crack a Bottle” – Eminem 6) “Won’t Back Down” – Both 7) “What Now” – Rihanna 8) “Phresh Out the Runway” – Rihanna 9) “Cake” – Rihanna 10) “Talk That Talk” – Rihanna 11) “Rude Boy” – Rihanna 12) “What’s My Name?” – Rihanna (remixed with Trey Songz’ “Na Na”) 13) “Pour It Up” – Rihanna 14) “Cockiness (Love It)” – Rihanna 15) “Man Down” – Rihanna 16) “You Da One” – Rihanna 17) “Wait Your Turn” – Rihanna 18) “Jump” – Rihanna 19) “Umbrella” – Rihanna 20) “All of the Lights” – Rihanna 21) “Rockstar 101″ – Rihanna 22) “Where Have You Been” – Rihanna 23) “Stay” – Rihanna 24) “Love the Way You Lie” – Both 25) “3 a.m.” – Eminem 26) “Square Dance” – Eminem 27) “Business” – Eminem 28) “My Dad’s Gone Crazy” – Eminem 29) “Evil Deeds” – Eminem 30) “Rap God” – Eminem 31) “Marshall Matters” – Eminem 32) “Still Don’t Give a F–k” – Eminem 33) “Criminal” – Eminem 34) “The Way I Am” – Eminem 35) Paramore’s “Airplanes” – Both 36) “Stan” – Both 37) “Like Toy Soldiers” – Eminem 38) Drake’s “Forever” – Eminem 39) “Berzerk” – Eminem 40) “Till I Collapse” – Eminem 41) “Cinderella Man” – Eminem 42) “The Real Slim Shady” – Eminem 43) “Without Me” – Eminem 44) “Not Afraid” – Eminem 45) “Diamonds” – Rihanna 46) “We Found Love” (Acoustic & Regular Versions) – Rihanna 47) “Lose Yourself” – Eminem 48) “The Monster” – Both

(S/O to Just Jared for the info.)

Review: Eminem and Rihanna bring the Monster Tour to the Rose Bowl

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Out with the gold, in with the bold.

Less than a week after Jay Z and Beyoncé vacated the premises, Eminem and Rihanna moved into the Rose Bowl on Thursday night for the first of two concerts to launch their shared Monster Tour. It’s the summer’s other road show pairing a superstar rapper with a superstar singer, and like the Carters’ On the Run trek it took full advantage of the stadium setting, with fireworks, a powerful live band and stories-tall video screens that flashed elaborate filmed sequences.

But where Jay Z and Beyoncé used their gigs to burnish their joint reputation as music’s royal couple, Eminem and Rihanna roamed the Rose Bowl’s enormous stage as dogged troublemakers, rousing the rabble over which Mr. and Mrs. Carter coolly rule.

“Can’t tell me nothing,” Rihanna declared in the show’s opener, “Numb”; minutes later, Eminem was growling his way through “Won’t Back Down.” Anyone keeping track of how many times each of them claimed not to give a damn (or something like it) would’ve quickly lost count.

Which didn’t mean the two artists incited the enormous crowd in the same way. Performing together and separately over the course of the show – a nearly three-hour production set to travel from Pasadena to the New York City area before concluding in Eminem’s hometown of Detroit – the singer and rapper channeled dramatically different energies as they moved through songs that covered just as much stylistic ground.

Rihanna was pure bad-seed swagger in “Phresh Out the Runway” and “Birthday Cake,” dark R&B tracks buzzing with serrated synth lines set over beats you could feel in your chest. “Rockstar 101” added squalling riffs from her guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, of the hair-metal band Extreme. And for “Rude Boy” and “Man Down,” she rode springy Caribbean rhythms that pulled from her childhood in Barbados.

Throughout much of her main solo set, the singer, wearing baggy pants and a jacket emblazoned with flames, was surrounded by a crew of dancers doing tightly choreographed moves – the same setup employed by any number of other female pop stars.

But as often as Rihanna joined them, she stood apart, allowing her scowl to speak for itself; she let her backup vocalists carry a similar load at points, as in the chorus of “Where Have You Been.” In a smaller venue, the effect might’ve been stultifying, but here it was thrilling, a kind of sermon on rejection.

Eminem, in contrast, attacked his songs with old-fashioned ferocity, bearing down on the music as though he could extrude its adrenaline and pass it on to his fans. Built on a sample of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke,” “Berzerk” surged with rap-rock intensity, while “Kill You” delivered a stream of violent threats only made more menacing by the tune’s bouncy groove.

After zooming through an absurdly fast double-time verse in “Rap God,” the MC’s shoulders slumped as he sucked in air; he seemed physically spent, as though he needed a break. But Eminem didn’t take one. Instead he launched into a pair of songs with unprintable titles and then did “Criminal,” about how no one can stop him.

For all the differences in the ways they embodied a sense of defiance, Eminem and Rihanna were united Thursday by a shared maudlin streak, a weakness for melodrama that cut against the misanthropy. It was there in her “Stay,” a stripped-down ballad in which she showed the frayed edges of her voice, and his “Not Afraid,” which he dedicated to “anyone who’s ever lost someone to addiction.” (The morbid anthem came from his 2010 album “Recovery,” inspired by Eminem’s struggle with prescription drug abuse.)

And the big emotions bridged the gap separating the two in the songs they performed together, such as “Stan,” where Rihanna sang Dido’s reassuring vocal hook, and “Love the Way You Lie,” their hit duet about a destructive romance.

The first date of the Monster Tour ended, of course, with “The Monster,” Eminem and Rihanna’s meditation on a different toxic relationship: the one between a celebrity and his or her renown. It was adding to the idea that these two can see through hero worship – and that they want you to see through it too.

Then again, the song climaxed with a showstopping display of pyrotechnics, proof that even rebels crave a little shine.

Twitter: @mikaelwood

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Mikael Wood is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times.

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Eminem, Rihanna Share Details of ‘Monster’ Mini-Tour

By Jason Newman

Jason Newman

One month after announcing that they’ll embark on an unspecified mini-tour , Eminem and Rihanna have revealed the dates and venues for their summer co-headlining Monster tour.

5 Eminem Tracks Only Hardcore Fans Know

The pop superstar will join the rapper August 7th at Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl, August 16th at E. Rutherford, N.J.’s MetLife Stadium and August 22nd at Detroit’s Comerica Park, with no further dates currently scheduled. Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 28 at 10 a.m. local time through the Live Nation mobile app and Live Nation’s website .

Live Nation has set up a Facebook page  where fans can RSVP for early access to presale tickets starting 10 a.m. local time on Saturday, March 22. Live Nation mobile app users will also have access to presale tickets beginning Thursday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time. Mobile users can text “LNAPP” to 404040 to download the Live Nation mobile app (available for iOS and Android). 

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Eminem and Rihanna first teamed up on the 2010 song “Love the Way You Lie” before reuniting for “The Monster,” which the rapper released at the end of October as the fourth single from  The Marshall Mathers LP 2 . In a  Rolling Stone  cover story  this past fall, Eminem said that the new collaboration with Rihanna was “not necessarily a sequel, as much as it is a revisitation” to his past. “To me, it’s more about the vice, and it’s more about the nostalgia,” he said.

In 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z performed two shows at Comerica Park as part of the Home & Home tour, in which the rappers performed two shows each in Detroit and New York.

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Eminem And Rihanna's Monster Tour Kickoff Wasn't Short On F-Bombs And Crotch Grabbing

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA -- Let's just start by saying that Eminem and Rihanna didn't keep it PG when their Monster Tour kicked off at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Thursday night, but you probably expected as much. The expletives started flying within the first minute of the show, and the frequent collaborators kept it raw and uncensored for the entirety of the night.

Over the course of two and a half hours, they ran through a comprehensive set list , that included classics like "Umbrella" and "Stan," all the way up to recent hits like "Diamonds" and "Rap God." There was a 'lil something for everyone who came out. Here's what went down at Em and Rihanna's Monster Tour opening night.

They teamed up for a hilarious opening skit.

It's been a minute since we watched "8 Mile," so it's easy to forget that Eminem can flex his acting chops when necessary. The show began with an opening skit that finds Rih being lead into a maximum security prison (by "Sopranos" actors Michael Imperioli) to visit an insane captive in isolation.

Naturally, that prisoner turns out to be Eminem, who immediately launches into a hilarious tirade about why the hell it took Rihanna so long to show up. After ranting about being forced to eat dry cereal, and being imprioned so long that he can't remember his age, Rih calls him an "ungrateful f--k" and storms out...leaving him to beg for her to come back. We give this one five gold stars.

There were too many F-bombs to count.

We're not saying that we expected a PG-rated show from the two people who brought us "Love the Way You Lie" and "The Monster," but they really didn't hold back when it came to language. During the first 10 minutes of the show, we estimate that Em and Rih had already spit out the F-word about 15 times in varying form. That includes when Rih called Em an "ungrateful f--k" in the opening skit, five minutes when later she urged the crowd to "make some noise for this motherf---er," and again when she wanted to know "how the f--k California was doing tonight."

Fans were treated to a couple of Rih-lly awesome remixes.

To to honest, Em and Rihanna didn't spend quite as much time on stage together as we'd hoped -- they both performed pretty long solo sets (and the crowd even started chanting for Shady to come out at some point) -- but they did treat the audience to some new renditions of classics. One of Eminem's most infamous singles "Stan," for example, got some new life with Rihanna singing Dido's vocals, as well as "Airplanes," where she replaced Paramore's Hayley Williams.

Related: Here's Eminem And Rihanna's Monster Tour Set List

Eminem really dipped into his classics.

Our survey of the audience found that fans ranged from those who were seeing Em live for the first time, to those who were already on their fifth show. Wherever they fell on the spectrum, though, they had to be pleased with the extensive set list, which hit recent releases like "Berzerk" and "Rap God," and looped all the way back to The Marshall Mathers LP and The Slim Shady LP with cuts like “Marshall Mathers, “Just Don’t Give A F–k," “Criminal” and "The Real Slim Shady."

Rihanna wore a lot of clothing.

What the f@$! was that about? Since BadGadRiRi has refused to return to Instagram, we've had to get our fill of her salacious photos from Twitter, or via posts from other celebrities. So, on Thursday night we were really hoping to catch an eye-full of Rih on stage, but unfortunately the 26-year-old kept it pretty demure with her outfit choices. She hit the stage in a pair of yellow and black flaming harem pants, with a matching jacket and crop top. And halfway through the show she switched into a short black dress with lace trim, under an oversized black jacket covered in patches. Definitely not what we were expecting.

But she definitely did plenty of crotch-grabbing and booty poppin'.

Clearly we were surprised by Rih's decision to cover up for the Monster Tour, but at least she didn't stop grabbing her crotch and grinding her behind everywhere. The crotch-grabbing happened during just about every song except "You Da One," and it happened extra during "Birthday Cake" and "Phresh Out the Runway." The booty poppin'...well, that was for most songs minus the slow, emotional numbers like "Stan."

They saved 'The Monster' for a grand finale.

Didn't think they were gonna give it up so soon, did ya? After running through approximately 47 songs between them, they finally closed the night with their recent collaboration, and had the audience screaming .

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Dates Revealed for Eminem and Rihanna: The Monster Tour

Eminem and Rihanna revealed the dates and three lucky places that they will play at together this summer. The tour, entitled  The Monster Tour , will take on  Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl on August 7th, MetLife Stadium in NJ on August 16th, and Comerica Park in Eminem’s hometown of Detroit on August 22nd.

As reported earlier, Eminem is rumored to be playing Lollapalooza August 1st-3rd at Chicago’s Grant Park.

Disclaimer: This is the explicit version for those of you about to blast this at work.

Eminem and Rihanna’s The Monster Tour Dates:

08/07 – Los Angeles, CA @ Rose Bowl 08/16 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium 08/22 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park

[via Consequence of Sound ]

-Brittney Borruso www.facebook.com/rockstella    

Eminem X Rihanna

The Monster Tour

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Rihanna and Eminem Teaming Up for the Monster Tour

"it's a three-city tour: new york, l.a., and detroit coming in august. the monster tour," the rapper explained.

Rihanna and Eminem are going on a mini tour together!

After reuniting for another hit song, the pop star and rapper have decided to hit the stage together in a few cities starting in the late summer. "There are some shows coming up with Rihanna," Slim Shady told XXL magazine's latest issue. "It's a three-city tour: New York, L.A., and Detroit coming in August. The Monster Tour."

Specific dates have not yet been released.

" '@Eminem: NYC/DET/LA this August with @Rihanna! # TheMonsterTour - http://xxlne.ws/1e0Ua9I ' OH IM THERE!!!!!," RiRi tweeted .

WATCH: Check out Em and Rihanna in the "Monster" music video

Em is currently on his Rapture Tour with Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole in Australia, while Rihanna wrapped up her Diamonds World Tour last year.

After releasing the smash "Love the Way You Lie" in 2010, Eminem and Rihanna decided to hit fans with another duet and got together in the studio to record "Monster," off of Marshall Mathers LP 2 .

The duo also appeared in the single's music video together, where RiRi plays the rapper's therapist, forcing the 8 Mile actor to face his demons by placing a DVD into the TV as Eminem sits back and watches the video, called "The Eminem Show," which sheds light on the "Lose Yourself" rapper's struggles with violence, family and addiction.

PHOTOS: "The Monster" and more of the best songs of 2013

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Falling In Reverse Announce Summer 2024 Headline Run — The Popular Monstour II: World Domination

NEW ALBUM POPULAR MONSTER 

Album arrives july 26 via epitaph records, band shares video for new single “ronald (feat. tech n9ne + alex terrible)” —  watch.

FALLING IN REVERSE  make anthems that provoke and inspire. Unnervingly ahead of the pack and yet always decisively right on time, their mix of bombastic declarations and intimate confessions connect with diverse crowds worldwide. The rule-breaking, genre-busting, hellraising band delivers raw emotion with double and triple entendre like Molotov cocktails thrown at pop culture.

Since 2017, the band has continued to explode by leaps and bounds. The catalog has clocked billions of streams, several gold and platinum certifications, recognition from top tier press such as  Pitchfork, Billboard, The New York Times,  and  Forbes , and several No. 1 radio singles.

Today, the band has announced its new album (and first since 2017’s  Coming Home )  Popular Monster .

It arrives on July 26 via  Epitaph Records . Pre-order the album  here .

Additionally, the band has shared the video for the new single “ RONALD (Feat. Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible) .” Watch it  here .

The 2x platinum smash “ Popular Monster ” and the album of the same name couldn’t have come from anyone else but  Ronnie Radke , who produced the album alongside Tyler Smith.   Both  Kerrang!  and  Revolver Magazine  counted the charismatic Las Vegas-born frontman and bandleader among “the greatest living rockstars.” The album arrives with several RIAA certified singles, which have been released over time since 2018. “Popular Monster” is certified 2x Platinum. while “Zombified,” “Voices In My Head,” and “Watching the World Burn” are all certified Gold.

Falling In Reverse’s catalog has accrued 5 billion streams, with 1.7 billion across all the album singles released to date. The catalog streaming remains robust at 35 million per week. Over on TikTok, the band has a stronghold, with 5.7 billion video views, with 4 million creations and a 1.5 billion creator reach.

The numbers don’t lie — Falling In Reverse are the rock scene’s biggest sensation.

The band has also announced its Summer 2024 headline tour plans, produced by Live Nation. The band will play 7,000-12,000 capacity venues with support coming from Black Veil Brides, Dance Gavin Dance, and Tech N9Ne. Jeris Johnson and Nathan James appear on select dates. Full routing can be found below.

Tickets will be available starting with Citi and artist presales beginning today. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning Friday, May 10 at 10 AM local time  here . Citi is the official card of The Popular MonsTOUR II: World Domination. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning today at 12 PM local time until Thursday, May 9 at 10 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete pre-sale details, visit  here .

This is the first announced leg of a planned world tour. Additional dates and cities around the world, and their support acts, will be announced soon.

POPULAR MONSTER  TRACK LISTING: “Prequel” “Popular Monster” “All My Life” “Ronald (Feat. Tech N9ne + Alex Terrible) “Voices In My Head” “Bad Guy” (Feat. Saraya) “Watch The World Burn” “Trigger Warning” “ZOMBIFIED” “NO FEAR” “Last Resort – Reimagined”

FALLING IN REVERSE ON TOUR: WITH BLACK VEIL BRIDES, DANCE GAVIN DANCE, + TECH N9NE: 8/18 — Nampa, ID — Ford Idaho Amphitheater* 8/21 — Airway Heights, WA — BECU Live at Northern Quest* 8/22 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre* 8/23  — Ridgefield, WA — RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater* 8/25 — Salt Lake City, UT — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre* 8/27 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater* 8/29 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory^ 8/30 — Houston, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman^ 9/1 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre^ 9/2 — Charlotte, NC — Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre^ 9/4 — Raleigh, NC — Red Hat Amphitheater^ 9/6 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live^ 9/7 — Scranton, PA — The Pavilion at Montage Mountain^ 9/9 — Boston, MA — Leader Bank Pavilion^ 9/10 — Buffalo, NY — Darien Lake Amphitheater^ 9/12 — Burgettstown, PA — The Pavilion at Star Lake^ 9/13 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center^ 9/15 — Sterling Heights, MI — Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre^ 9/16 — Indianapolis, IN — Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park^ 9/17 — Chicago, IL — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island^ 9/20 — Franklin, TN — FirstBank Amphitheater^ 9/21 — St Louis, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre^ 9/23 — Denver, CO — The JunkYard^ 9/25 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre^ 9/26 — Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum^ *With Nathan James ^With Jeris Johnson

ABOUT FALLING IN REVERSE +  POPULAR MONSTER: FALLING IN REVERSE return with 2024’s  Popular Monster , the postmodern trailblazer’s first full-length in seven years. The album arrives armed with no less than three RIAA-certified gold singles (“ZOMBIFIED,” “Voices in My Head,” “Watch the World Burn”), the double-platinum title track, a reimagined nü-metal classic, and six brand new anthems of furious metal, melody, and hip-hop.

Popular Monster  is a defiant statement and triumphant victory for singer, songwriter, bandleader, and provocateur Ronnie Radke, who invented Falling In Reverse inside a prison cell.

Radke fills the fifth full-length from Falling In Reverse with invincible and irresistible songs that resonate across generations and genres. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Tyler Smyth (I Prevail, Lights),  Popular Monster  is full of confessional angst, bravado, and clever wordplay.

Ronnie formed a series of pop-punk bands in Las Vegas as a teenager, culminating in the creation of Escape The Fate. The metalcore group’s meteoric rise coincided with the singer’s spiral into addiction. By the time he was sentenced to two years in prison, the band he started had moved on without him. Some fans, critics, and industry types figured his story would end there.

They were very wrong.

The gold-certified debut album from Falling In Reverse,  The Drug In Me Is You  (2011), arrived less than two years after Ronnie’s release. Thanks to his formative fascinations with metal, punk, and hip-hop, he almost single-handedly revived rap rock with the ambitious  Fashionably Late  (2013).  Just Like You  (2015), debuted in the Top 5 on the US Rock chart. The grungy and atmospheric  Coming Home  (2017) demonstrated yet another adventurous side of Radke’s self-expression.

“Losing My Mind” and “Losing My Life” surprised the so-called “scene” all over again in 2018 when he became the first of his peers to swerve from the album format to standalone singles. “Drugs” explored the American substance abuse epidemic and channeled Ronnie’s own heartbreak.

The massive “Popular Monster” became Ronnie’s first No. 1 song on the radio and his first platinum single less than two years after its release. It was also the first No. 1 song on  Billboard’ s inaugural Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, which considers airplay, streaming, and downloads. “Popular Monster” eventually went double-platinum in the US and 3x platinum in Australia. “ZOMBIFIED” and “Voices In My Head” went to No. 1 back-to-back. “Voices In My Head” was also the No. 1 Song of 2022 at SiriusXM’s Octane. The unconventional, caustic, and super heavy “Watch the World Burn” dominated rock radio in 2023 and improbably became his first  Billboard   Hot 100  song.

As with the top-notch producers and directors Ronnie has hired to help execute his vision, he’d regularly surrounded himself with incredible live players, resulting in unforgettable performances with various lineups over the years. Radke owns the stage, whether taking the Warped Tour mantle held by My Chemical Romance, Avenged Sevenfold, and Fall Out Boy in the tour’s final years, performing in prominent spots on every major rock festival, or on massive headlining treks.

Popular Monster , the album, marks another chapter in the ongoing story of an artist who continually beats the odds, surmounting obstacles (and adversaries) both within and without.

“Radke stands as one of this generation’s most revered rock frontmen,” wrote the esteemed  Forbes Magazine  in a 2020 profile. “And maybe even one of the scene’s last true rockstars.”

About Live Nation Entertainment:

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FALLING IN REVERSE, PLEASE CONTACT: Atom Splitter PR | [email protected] Amy Sciarretto | Atom Splitter PR | [email protected] Tim Tatulli | Atom Splitter PR | [email protected] Rachel Rosenberg | Atom Splitter PR | [email protected] Shane Handal | Atom Splitter PR | [email protected] Tori Kravitz | Atom Splitter PR | [email protected] Taylor Palmby | Atom Splitter PR | [email protected]

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LIVE NATION CONCERTS, PLEASE CONTACT: Monique Sowinski | [email protected]

Maya Sarin | [email protected]

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How Big Is Taylor Swift?

Taylor Swift?

As big as the Beatles? Michael Jackson? Beyoncé? We crunched the numbers.

By Joe Coscarelli Graphics and additional reporting by Courtney Cox and Fred Bierman

You might have heard: Taylor Swift cannot be stopped.

Her new album , “The Tortured Poets Department,” sold 2.6 million copies in its opening week last month, earning Swift her eighth Billboard No. 1 album since 2020.

At the Grammy Awards in February, she became the first artist to win album of the year for a fourth time, breaking a tie with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.

And earlier this month, Swift’s Eras Tour, the 152-date, billion-dollar stadium takeover that began last year, resumed abroad before it returns to the U.S. in October.

Taylor Swift onstage at an Eras Tour show in New Jersey last year.

In 2023, according to the data tracking service Luminate, one in every 78 songs streamed in the U.S. was by Swift.

With a mix of prolific artistic output and relentless business savvy, plus cultural dominance as a celebrity, Swift, 34, has created such a swell of momentum that she is probably more popular — more omnipresent — 19 years into her professional music career than she ever has been.

That is not normal.

Swift fans in the parking lot of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

But just how big is Taylor Swift, in terms of the all-time pop pantheon?

The singer’s ongoing surge has inspired inevitable debates about how her success stacks up not only against her pop peers, like Beyoncé and Drake, but to the greats that came before them. Even Billy Joel said he could only compare this Swift moment to Beatlemania.

Enraptured Beatles fans in 1964.

It may be impossible to do an exact, one-to-one comparison between Swift’s career and that of the Beatles — or Madonna, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John or your icon of choice. Besides music being personal and subjective, the nature of success (and how it is calculated) has changed drastically over time. Much of a star’s grip on the zeitgeist is also intangible — a vibe in the air, their influence moving subtly but undeniably through culture.

But the absence of a truly scientific comparison has never stopped the amusement that comes from the eternal sports and pop culture debates of our time: Jordan vs. LeBron (or Kareem, or Kobe). Brady vs. Montana (or Marino, or Mahomes). “Star Wars” vs. “Star Trek” (or Harry Potter, or the Marvel Universe).

Even without definitive conclusions, it’s impossible for certain loyalists, haters and obsessives not to wonder how giants match up using whatever evidence might be available.

So with Swift’s career still peaking late into its second decade, we ran the numbers and analyzed the data, taking stock of what she has accomplished so far — and when — alongside some of the heaviest hitters in each category.

Taylor vs. the Beatles Hit Singles

First, there are the Beatles, who for most music fans still represent the gold standard of pop mania in modern times.

When it comes to Billboard No. 1 singles …

… they set the benchmark.

From the early 1960s, when pop music usually came in the form of two-sided vinyl singles, until the Fab Four broke up in 1970, the band released 64 songs that landed on Billboard’s all-genre chart, known as the Hot 100.

In that time, the Beatles helped to usher in the rock ’n’ roll revolution — and the album age — by releasing more than a dozen LPs.

But many of the records they set for hit singles still stand today.

THE BEATLES

TAYLOR SWIFT

‘Change’

‘We Are Never Ever Getting

Back Together’ (2012)

Let’s look at how Swift’s Top 10 hits compare to the Beatles’ over the course of their careers, starting with the year each of them released their first original single in the U.S.

What is incredible to remember is that almost all of the Beatles’ success — and their entire artistic output — happened very quickly.

Of the band’s 35 total Top 10 hits, 32 of them arrived in just eight years. (Three more Top 10s came after the band split.)

The Beatles came in hot, then they were gone — a risk for groups, with their various egos and complications, that Swift will never have to face.

Her career, on the other hand, has been a much slower burn, as she grew from country music ingénue to full-bore pop star.

Swift’s first Top 10 song (“Change”) didn’t hit until around her second album, “Fearless,” in 2008.

When we focus on No. 1s, the Beatles really dominate, with more chart-toppers than any other artist, a record they’ve held since 1965.

Out of the Beatles’ 20 No. 1s, the majority also came quickly, with 11 songs , including “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Love Me Do” and “Yesterday,” topping the chart in 1964 and 1965, their earliest years as a fresh-faced phenomenon.

Swift’s first chart-topper, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” in 2012, needed a more dramatic twist.

Seven years into her career, she left behind her Nashville sound and collaborated with the pop guru Max Martin, who trails only John Lennon and Paul McCartney with 25 career No. 1s as a songwriter.

The bulk of Swift’s singles success has come even later, with seven of her 12 total No. 1s, including “Fortnight,” “Cruel Summer” and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” arriving in the last five years , as her career entered its teens.

By that point in their musical lives, the individual Beatles were well into their various solo endeavors, with McCartney experimenting with new wave and George Harrison writing songs about race cars .

But as with any comparison across eras, there must be footnotes and asterisks. When we look at Top 10s from the 1960s, we’re only counting an artist’s actual “singles” — songs released for purchase outside of a full album.

After 1998, the rules began changing to include any song on the radio, regardless of how it was released, and eventually counting digital downloads and streams. By today’s rules, the Beatles would have even more hits than Billboard’s official count.

Swift, whose new album features 31 songs, each of which hit the Hot 100, has dominated with these new metrics: In 2022, she became the first artist to occupy the entire Top 10 on the Hot 100 at once following the release of “Midnights.”

She repeated and expanded upon that feat last month with songs from “The Tortured Poets Department,” which filled the top 14 spots on the singles chart.

This might measure a different kind of fervor than the musical ubiquity of the Beatles or others who ruled the radio later — a depth of obsession for Swift’s fans who stream her music billions of times and purchase it in multiple formats.

The length of Swift’s career has allowed her into the Beatles’ vaunted ballpark by giving her the chance to evolve her sound, grow her loyal audience and take full advantage of technological advances.

Yet as wild as it is for the Beatles to have accomplished so much in so little time, Swift’s longevity might be considered equally impressive in pop music, which often overvalues the new and — especially among female artists — the young.

Taylor vs. Michael Jackson Album Sales

Despite Swift’s streaming success — and ability to move even vinyl records — the high bar can only be Michael Jackson when it comes to album sales.

Like the Beatles, Jackson reached heights pop had never seen, changing the very nature of stardom, for better and worse, by kicking off the MTV video age and ruling popular culture amid tabloid mayhem.

Unlike the Beatles’, Jackson’s career was relatively long, from his time as a child star in the Jackson 5 until his death in 2009 at 50.

MICHAEL JACKSON

PLATINUM CERTIFICATIONS

‘Thriller’

‘Fearless’

‘1989’

ALBUM SALES

‘1989

(Taylor’s Version)’

But the meat of Jackson’s solo career lasted from 1972 through 2001, during which he put out 10 albums and followed a fairly typical arc for a pop career …

… the release of starter albums like “Got to Be There” and “Ben” in the early 1970s, then a big breakthrough — “Off the Wall” in 1979 — and a peak, before Jackson slowed down somewhat, at least commercially.

That peak just happened to be “Thriller” — arguably the peak of all pop peaks — which came out in 1982, when Jackson was 24.

For albums, going platinum — or selling one million copies — is the go-to stat. Let’s look at Jackson’s platinum albums vs. Swift’s , starting with the beginning of their careers as solo artists.

In the four-plus decades since “Thriller” was released, it has been certified 34 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, making it one of the most successful albums of all time.

Swift’s biggest albums so far are “Fearless,” which is officially 10 times platinum, and “1989,” at nine times platinum.

However, Swift’s platinum certifications are not totally up to date and do not yet count the sales of her redone “Taylor’s Version” releases, which have not been officially tallied by the R.I.A.A.

(It’s also worth noting that an album “sale” now means something different: a set amount of song streams or downloads is considered the equivalent of one album sold.)

Using the more recent sales data available for Swift’s albums, which can help us estimate where her R.I.A.A. certifications will be when they’re updated …

… she starts to approach — and even pass — Jackson’s monster platinum totals, giving us a better idea of how Swift will stack up to Jackson long term. Remember, Swift’s albums have about 30 years less of collective sales when compared to “Thriller” — and they’re still being actively promoted.

Swift’s “1989” — also released when she was 24 — may be the closest thing she has to Jackson’s biggest blockbuster …

… and she’s been strategic enough to release it twice, elongating what could be considered her career peak by stretching it across two distinct eras nearly a decade apart.

Part of Swift’s genius as she’s run up the stats these last few years — releasing nearly 200 songs since the pandemic — is that the music that first made her a star in the mid-to-late 2000s is exploding again alongside her latest hits, giving new fans a fresh entry point.

Already, Swift has released more solo albums than Jackson ever did, and with her productivity — including those two different versions of four of her albums so far — she can approach the King of Pop.

In all, Jackson’s 10 solo albums have been certified 72 times platinum. Swift’s 11 original albums have been certified 50 times platinum. But her album sales tell us that number, including Taylor’s Versions, is likely to be closer to 90. And she is very much still going, with “The Tortured Poets Department” already topping three million in about a month.

Taylor vs. Britney Spears A Pop-Star Arc

Swift’s extended peak becomes even more of a standout when compared to a more typical pop trajectory — even one with towering highs.

Like Swift, Britney Spears released her debut single at age 16 and came to absolutely dominate the cultural conversation (sometimes in ways that discounted her music in favor of her love life).

Commercially huge in its moment, Spears’s music career was also relatively short-lived, which tends to be the case more often than not, especially for singers who are known as performers and celebrities more than quote-unquote serious artists.

Swift, unlike Spears, has been firm in branding herself as a songwriter from the beginning, helping stave off some sexist criticism of her music as frivolous.

BRITNEY SPEARS

‘... Baby One More Time’

For reasons that became more complicated as time went on, Spears’s career sloped downward commercially basically from the moment it began, if you’re looking at album sales .

“ ... Baby One More Time ,” Spears’s 1999 debut, sold impressively. It’s certified platinum more times than, say, “Abbey Road” ...

… but it’s not quite “ 1989 ” even in raw numbers, leaving aside any questions of authorship, artistic merit and staying power.

The diminishing returns of Spears’s subsequent releases represent a sadly common path for the kind of pop singers that audiences can treat as disposable, with a new model always on the horizon.

Taylor vs. Madonna Era After Era

Madonna’s ability to reinvent — to persist as a woman in pop — is the reason we talk about artist “eras” to begin with. Another path-breaking solo pop singer with a huge peak, a long run of domination, a savvy command of marketing and unexpected longevity, Madonna has had a career that is 43 years long and counting.

From her breakthrough second album, “Like a Virgin,” released in 1984, when she was 26, through “Bedtime Stories” in 1994, Madonna was inescapable, pushing the boundaries of visual and sonic reinvention that are now considered prerequisites for top acts.

‘Vogue’ (1990)

‘This Used To Be

My Playground’(1992)

‘Music’

Let’s look at Madonna’s Top 10 Billboard hits compared to Swift’s, which shows how consistent both artists have been over extended periods of time — but also when in their careers each was most in the mix.

Madonna scored No. 1 hits across three decades, beginning with the title track from “Like a Virgin” in 1984.

In her first 10 years dominating the charts , Madonna had 10 No. 1s, ruling radio, MTV and nightclubs. She also appeared in blockbuster movies like “Dick Tracy” and “Evita,” expanding her cultural omnipresence.

Madonna’s peak was fueled in part by the kind of polarizing, shock-value controversy — think “Like a Virgin,” “Like a Prayer” or the “Sex” book from 1992 — that Swift has studiously avoided. (Although she, too, has had her share of extra-musical headlines, like the Kanye West V.M.A.s moment in 2009.)

But it was Madonna’s multifaceted fame as a triple threat that helped lead to many of her No. 1 hits, including “ Vogue ” (from “I’m Breathless,” the “Dick Tracy” soundtrack album) and …

… “ This Used to Be My Playground " (the theme from “A League of Their Own”).

Swift has also dipped a toe into Hollywood, although her roles in “Valentine’s Day,” “Cats” and David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” are less fondly remembered (and have resulted in no hit songs).

The most recent of Madonna’s 12 No. 1 hits (“ Music ,” from 2000) came 19 years into her career — where Swift is now — at the age of 42.

Madonna’s eight-year comeback period , from “Ray of Light” in 1998 to “Confessions on a Dance Floor” in 2005, resulted in six Top 10 hits. She has 38 overall (with none since 2012), compared to Swift’s 59 so far.

Taylor vs. the Veterans Touring and Awards

Alongside a pop survivor like Madonna, now 65, acts like Elton John, 77, and Bruce Springsteen, 74, are an interesting comparison point for Swift because of their productivity, longevity and critical acclaim — all of which has paid off on the road.

(See also: Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, who are not included here, but would be interesting points of comparison using slightly different metrics.)

While Madonna has slipped on the charts — none of her most recent four albums has gone platinum — she remains a major live draw, a standard give-and-take for a top-tier legacy act.

John and Springsteen, both veterans about 50 years into their careers, also had periods of commercial dominance beginning in the 1970s with albums like “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (released when John was 26, that pop-star sweet spot) and “Born to Run” (from when Springsteen was 25).

But as they settled into pop-star middle age, plateauing commercially, they too have persisted with uber-successful, long-running tours fueled by fan allegiance and critical acclaim.

APPROXIMATE GROSS FOR TOP TOUR

Taylor Swift

Eras Tour (through mid-Nov. 2023)

Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour (2018-23)

Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008-9)

Renaissance World Tour (2023)

Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen and the E Street Band Tour (2023)

Michael Jackson

History World Tour (1996-7)

It’s All a Blur Tour (through mid-Nov. 2023)

All figures in 2023-24 dollars

APPROXIMATE GROSS PER SHOW

Let’s look at the total grosses for the best-selling tours by John and Springsteen, which put them in the company of more commercially dominant artists like Swift, Madonna and Jackson.

John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, a late-career greatest hits show named for his biggest album, made nearly $1 billion in part because it lasted for six years and more than 300 dates.

Madonna’s best-selling tour was Sticky & Sweet , from 2008 and 2009. (Like Swift’s Eras Tour, Madonna’s recent Celebration Tour highlighted all the periods of her four-decade career, although it was less profitable and played arenas rather than stadiums.)

If you look at how much these major tours made per show, the list changes.

This is where Swift shines, taking in more than $17 million per concert. By the time it’s over, the Eras Tour could bring in over $2 billion in ticket sales.

One notable aspect of Swift’s career so far is that it seems to bridge the gap between two kinds of artists, both of which can become legacy acts with strong enough catalogs and fan bases: the sustained, hit-making entertainers who may be overlooked, at least at first, as musicians, and the serious singer-songwriters who tend to be more critically lauded.

The Grammy Awards, love them or hate them, are voted on by other musicians and provide a proxy stat for prestige and overall acclaim in the moment.

NOMINATIONS

TOP CATEGORY

Let’s look at Grammy nominations among the crop of top artists we’re considering.

While Swift has already outpaced Jackson and Springsteen, it’s Beyoncé — another artist who has changed the way we talk about pop stars — who has the most nominations ever.

Looking at Grammy wins …

… we see artists like John and Drake, another modern juggernaut, drop on this list, having converted fewer of their nominations to victories compared with, say, Jackson and Springsteen.

Springsteen has won 20 Grammys across the decades, from his first for “Dancing in the Dark” in 1985 to his most recent, in 2010, for “Working on a Dream.”

Beyoncé is the winningest musician ever at the Grammys, where she has been awarded 32 times, topping the conductor Georg Solti (31) and the producer Quincy Jones (28), who was behind Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Yet Beyoncé has still never taken album of the year — where Swift has four trophies — and has won only once in the top categories , which include record, song and album of the year, plus best new artist.

It's been more than a decade since Beyoncé earned a top-tier Grammy, when “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” was awarded song of the year.

Madonna didn’t win her first Grammy until 1992 (for best music video!) and only has scattered victories since, indicating she may have been viewed by her industry peers as more of a commercial force than a musician’s musician.

It is worth pointing out that the Beatles won just four Grammys while active, including two in the big four categories, out of 20 nominations, demonstrating how hard it is to quantify musical quality and how esteem tends to shift over time. (Three more nominations and wins came after they broke up.)

The band took the top prize just once — for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the first rock album to win, in 1968 — in part because the Grammys, until the late 1960s, were quite conservative, often recognizing old-school, traditional pop acts like Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. (“Help!” and “Revolver” both lost to Sinatra.)

Looking at stats like that, you could argue that the most popular musicians are taken more seriously as artists now than ever before, in no small part because of acts like the Beatles, Jackson and Madonna.

Taylor vs. Beyoncé and Drake Modern Heavyweights

While Swift’s overall pound-for-pound standing in each of the categories we’ve looked at puts her in rare historical company, it is notable that two of her most immediate contemporaries — Beyoncé, 42, and Drake, 37 — are also legitimate challengers across the board.

All three artists have maneuvered the industry transition between CDs, downloads and streaming to become defining modern superstars while also maximizing those intangibles like cultural reach and celebrity domination.

Beyoncé, now 23 years into a solo career after her time with the group Destiny’s Child, stands with Swift when it comes to versatility and longevity, plus sustained commercial dominance.

‘I Am ...

Sasha Fierce’

‘The Tortured

Poets Department’

‘Cowboy

Carter’

Let’s look at their album sales as solo artists side by side.

Beyoncé’s commercial peak (so far) came with “ I Am… Sasha Fierce ,” released in 2008, when she was 27. That album has sold more than nine million copies.

Since then , while selling fewer records, she has focused on different pillars of legacy, pioneering the visual album format (“Beyoncé,” “Lemonade”), experimenting with genre (“Renaissance,” “Cowboy Carter”) and pushing the limits of an extravagant live spectacle (Coachella, the Renaissance World Tour).

Both Beyoncé and Swift have had big-selling No. 1 albums this year , during fresh periods of productivity.

Like Madonna and Swift, Beyoncé has continued to stretch the limits of what a woman’s pop career can hold, landing two chart-topping singles in her 40s (with “Break My Soul,” in 2022, and again earlier this year, with the country-influenced “Texas Hold ’Em”).

She has also performed twice at the Super Bowl — something Swift has yet to do — a stage where acts like Madonna, Jackson and Springsteen have solidified their unquantifiable grasp on culture.

And then there is Drake, a relentless hitmaker. Like Swift, Drake has optimized his output to take advantage of the way streaming has reshaped the industry and its accolades to set new records, including 328 total entries on the Hot 100.

Swift, with 232, is the only other artist with at least 200.

Featured Artist

Drake has 78 Top 10 hits so far in his career …

… and 13 No. 1s stemming from a variety of projects: official albums, less official mixtapes, streaming-only “playlists,” one-off singles, collaborative albums and more.

As a rapper and frequent guest artist, Drake, unlike Swift, has appeared on many hits by others …

… like his first No. 1, on Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” in 2010, accounting for a wide reach beyond his own releases.

Yet somehow Drake and Swift have never released a song together, despite sharing a certain canniness and expressing mutual appreciation for one another.

Even in his recent battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake made clear that he sees Swift as his only real contemporary competition. (He has also rapped about having “more slaps than the Beatles” and frequently invokes Jackson’s success as a touchstone.)

Drake, Beyoncé and Swift all have this modern characteristic in common: They’re each actively playing for legacy, one eye on history and another on the record books. Ambitious and autonomous, they’re proudly writing their résumés in real time, juicing Billboard numbers and even gunning for accolades.

As a shrewd student of music and fame, Swift may know that she will never achieve the exact kind of domination that the Beatles, Jackson and Madonna had at the height of global monoculture, when everyone might pay attention to the same thing. But she’s certainly trying, taking bits and pieces from each’s career and making sure to maximize her work and reach in all the ways that weren’t available then.

She cares how she’s perceived and how she’ll be remembered when the noise fades and all that’s left are the songs — and the stats.

So far, it’s working.

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