Musgraves hasn't said anything about why the shows were canceled. Continue reading…

You’d think they’d know better by now. Morgan Wallen is wrapping up his Still the Problem Tour, with only two dates left after this weekend’s two-night run at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And for some reason, people are still trying to throw their phones on stage in hopes of…getting a selfie, I guess? Spoiler alert: It never works. Throughout the tour, we’ve seen several instances of Morgan getting annoyed with fans throwing their phones on stage during the show – which usually results in the phone going flying in the opposite direction: @amandapreisinger3 When will yall learn to stop throwing your phones at artists #morganwallen #concert #gainesville ♬ original sound – Amanda Preisinger @cassiecarrieann I think it’s safe to say @morganwallen is over getting phones thrown at him #morganwallen #concertseason #stilltheproblem ♬ original sound – Cassie Branning And of course there was the incident last month in Pittsburgh when Morgan spotted a security guard recording with a fan’s phone by the stage, and sent that phone flying too: @jcroo419 Well that just happened… Amy gave her phone to the lady to hand to Morgan Wallen and he launched it. I get it… security should be doing security things, but…. ♬ الصوت الأصلي – وحيد Yeah, he’s clearly over the phones causing problems. Well last night, Morgan was performing in Ann Arbor when yet another phone came flying on stage, this time appearing to hit him right in the shin as he performed “I Got Better.” You can see the superstar’s demeanor immediately change as he walks away, and then comes back to stare down the fan who just hit him with their phone: @kendylltrej Good Morning to everyone – except the person who threw their phone at Morgan Wallen in Michigan @morganwallen #imstilltheproblem #michigan #annarbor #morganwallenmichigan #michigannight1 ♬ 最高の睡眠 – Sleep Music α It appeared that Morgan was trying to point out the fan to security, but it’s not clear whether the offender was removed from the concert. But at this point, with how often this seems to happen, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he decides to move the pits further back on future tours – or eliminate the runway down the middle of the stadium to keep himself from being a target. Aside from it being dangerous to throw a phone at somebody, I don’t understand what these people are thinking because the chances of them losing their phone forever after throwing it into a crowd is…pretty high. Is it really worth having to replace your phone just for the slight chance that Morgan picks it up, takes a video or a selfie, and then somehow manages to get it back to you undamaged? Morgan has just three dates left on his Still the Problem tour, with tonight’s show in Ann Arbor followed by two nights at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania next weekend to wrap things up. Let’s see if he’s able to make it through those shows without getting hit by a cell phone…or whether it’s “still the problem” to the very end. (I’m sorry, that was terrible). “Been By Now” Morgan kicked off his next era of music yesterday with the new single “Been By Now,” his first release from his next (still unannounced) album. And last night in Ann Arbor he also took some time (between dodging cell phones) to reflect on leaving the I’m the Problem era behind: “It’s a little bittersweet because we’re getting to the end of this tour and kinda the end of this album’s era, I’d guess you’d say. I ain’t really sure exactly what I’m gonna do next, but I do know that I’ve been in the studio, been making a lot of music. I’m excited about it.” Let’s hope this next era doesn’t include as many flying cell phones.The post Morgan Wallen Stares Down Fan Who Hit Him With A Cell Phone On Stage During Night One In Ann Arbor first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Staten Kirkland and Quinn O'Grady have become a beloved TV couple over the course of the first two seasons of 'Ransom Canyon.' Continue reading…

Of all the country stars dubbed an “outlaw,” Merle Haggard is easily one of the most qualified for the title. Merle rebelled early and often after the death of his father, racking up a long rap sheet that included car theft, armed robbery, hopping trains, skipping school, and assault. Some of these crimes were serious and others were petty, but the repeated nature of the offenses was amplified by his ability to escape from many of the work camps and detention centers where he was housed. An often cited figure is that Merle escaped prison a total of 17 times in his life, but author Marc Eliot dug deep while writing The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard and determined that Merle had a total of 17 entries on his rap sheet, but that the number of escapes was certainly in the single digits. Merle’s life may have been one totally and completely made up of crime had it not been for one of the most iconic moments in country music history. In 1960, Johnny Cash was playing one of his famed New Year’s Day concerts at San Quentin prison and a young, 20-something Merle Haggard happened to be in attendance. It’s often reported as 1958 (Merle wasn’t at San Quentin yet) or 1959 (Merle wasn’t in the audience), but it was actually 1960 when Cash played with Merle in the crowd. What he saw from Johnny both on and off stage convinced him to straighten his life out, at least from the criminal aspect, and truly give a career as a country artist a shot. You can read that entire story here. But, as you may expect from a young convict, Merle wasn’t impressed when he learned that some country music star was coming to perform at his prison. Rightly so, he was weary, as celebrities will often appear somewhere just to make a good headline and then scamper back to their money and mansions as quickly as possible. In a 2014 interview with the Des Moines Register, Haggard said: “I thought Johnny Cash was kind of corny, I didn’t care for him until after he came. There were 5,000 men in there that didn’t care if he lived or died and he was a tall, slim country boy with a corny band. He shouldn’t do that good.” However it didn’t take long for him to change his opinion once he saw the actual man the Johnny was. “He surprised me. He was wonderful, it was unbelievable. He captured those 5,000 men and I don’t believe there was a guy in there left that wasn’t a Johnny Cash fan.”  In another interview, Haggard gave more details on exactly what it was that endeared him to the convict crowd: “He had the right attitude. He chewed gum, looked arrogant and flipped the bird to the guards – he did everything the prisoners wanted to do. He was a mean mother from the South who was there because he loved us… it set a fire under me that hadn’t been there before.” If that doesn’t prove the power of Johnny Cash, the fact that he was able to breakthrough to a hardened, stubborn guy like Merle Haggard, than I don’t know what would. From thinking he’s corny and not really liking him to being a huge fan and changing his whole life because of one performance, that right there exemplifies what music is at its best and why it’s so important that we continue fighting for and promoting the real, quality music that continues to be made today. The post Merle Haggard Thought Johnny Cash Was “Kind Of Corny” Until He Saw Him Play At San Quentin Prison first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He comes from not one, but two different famous families. Continue reading…