| July 6, 2025 
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Apologies for the late Louder this week, I was in a time warp (a.k.a. a conference room covering the Sean Combs trial) and lost track of the calendar. But we are now just one day away from the milestone driving our Arts & Leisure cover story: Ringo Starr’s 85th birthday. He is the first Beatle to reach that age, and as he and Paul McCartney have grown older together, their relationship has deepened. Lindsay Zoladz has the story — interviews with both Beatles, and more of Starr’s admirers — as she explores his latest chapters in a lovely profile. There were two major live events in England this weekend: Oasis’s first show in 16 years, and Ozzy Osbourne’s final performances solo and with Black Sabbath. Jon Caramanica provided a sharp take on the Gallagher brothers’ return, and Alex Marshall surveyed the scene, which was rife with bucket hats. Hank Shteamer gave us highlights from the Osbourne sets (at an all-star festival called Back to the Beginning) and testimonials about the rocker’s influence from Lars Ulrich, Lita Ford, Billy Corgan, Rob Halford and Tommy Lee. Jon also reviewed the latest from Lorde, while Jon Pareles spent his Fourth of July selecting 10 of the week’s most notable new tracks. (He also provided a fabulous Amplifier playlist for the fireworks.) And Bob Mehr profiled Neil Sedaka, who’s been taking the stage to celebrate his decades-old resurrection. |
