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Flooding Projections

Flooding is a concern from rain falling in the Ozarks tonight into Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for all areas along and South of I-44, including Springfield.

Forecasters say that 2-3 inches of rain are possible, with some localized higher ammounts in South Central Missouri.

Use caution if you are camping or outdoors near waterways. The risk for severe weather is low.

This article is provided by Ozarks News – 93.3 KWTO
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Semi Crash Closes Westbound I-44

A crash slowed traffic on I-44 Wednesday afternoon.

A semi rilled over in the Westbound lanes of I-44 near exit 88 around 4:15 PM.

Emergency crews say the semi caught fire. Some of the lumbar it was carrying was spilled into the median.

MODOT closed the Westbound lanes while the crash was cleaned up.

This article is provided by Ozarks News – 93.3 KWTO
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Phoebe Bridgers Named One of ‘Time’s 2023 Women of the Year

Phoebe Bridgers has been named one of Time‘s 2023 Women of the Year alongside Quinta Brunson, Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett and more.

The list of 12 total honorees was announced Thursday morning (March 2), with individual interviews celebrating each woman’s distinctive accomplishments posted on the publication’s website. In hers, Bridgers’ advocacy for women’s reproductive healthcare was highlighted, with the 28-year-old indie rock star recalling a moment she spotted a young fan being ushered out of a venue by her parents after she condemned the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade during a concert last year.

“I hope it makes a difference,” Bridgers said. “I hope those parents are going to lose the battle with that kid’s opinions and belief systems.”

The “Motion Sickness” singer’s work as owner of Saddest Factory Records and one-third of supergroup Boygenius — whose debut album arrives later this month — was also spotlighted by Time, along with Bridgers’ upcoming stint of shows as an opener on Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster-crashing Eras Tour. “I try not to think about it that hard or I’ll freak out,” she confessed.

Speaking on the songwriting that earned her four Grammy nominations in 2021, Bridgers said that some of the most life-changing advice given to her came from a surprising source: Ryan Adams. In 2019, Bridgers accused the 48-year-old rock musician and label owner of being emotionally abusive and controlling, alleging instances of inappropriate sexual encounters in a New York Times exposé (details of which Adams called “misrepresented,” “exaggerated” and “outright false”).

“Strangely, well, not strangely—life is complex—Ryan Adams sent me a really long email once about how I needed to write the truth, because it’s the only thing that’s interesting about me,” Bridgers said. “The more honest I am, the world just keeps opening up for me.”

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Journey’s 10 Best Songs

Though it arrives amidst lawsuits, social media sniping and infighting, Journey is turning 50 this year.

During that half century, the group has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, logging 11 platinum-or-better albums (including Diamond certifications for 1981’s Escape and 1988’s Greatest Hits), earning eight top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and 25 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s also been a reliable ticket-selling act for most of its career, and in 2017, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Journey’s is the story of eras. When the group originally formed in San Francisco in 1973, original manager Herbie Herbert helped bring together guitarist Neal Schon and keyboard player/vocalist Gregg Rolie from Santana, bassist Ross Valory and rhythm guitarist George Tickner from Frumious Bandersnatch and drummer Prairie Prince from The Tubes. Prince would be replaced by David Bowie/Frank Zappa skins man Aynsley Dunbar, while Tickner would leave after Journey’s self-titled first album in 1975. The remaining quartet recorded two more albums before Steve Perry came on board for 1978’s Infinity, which began the band’s run of multi-platinum smashes — also marking the first appearance of Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse’s iconic scarab logo for the band. Dunbar was replaced by Steve Smith for 1979’s Evolution, and Rolie would leave in 1980 with Jonathan Cain of The Babys joining to help elevate the band to even greater fortunes on Escape and Frontiers.

The palette has been diverse, but there are common elements among Journey’s best songs — sturdy melodies and sing-along choruses, usually leading into one of Schon’s majestic guitar solos. But within that mold there’s also been plenty of invention and clever arrangements that have never been as formulaic as some of the band’s detractors (particularly during their early ‘80s heyday) would have you believe.

Journey has gone through its fair share of lineups, with singer Arnel Pineda on board since 2007 — the longest continuous tenure of any Journey frontman. The group released Freedom, it’s first new studio album in 11 years, in 2022, and despite the current legal fractures (which you can read about in detail here), still they ride, as the Escape track says — and may they keep on runnin’ for a long time.

With all that in mind, here are our picks for Journey’s 10 best songs — not all of which come from the biggest hits.

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Adam Sandler Extends Live Tour With 2023 Spring Dates

Adam Sandler fans have one more chance to see him on tour. On Thursday (March 2), the singer-comedian announced that he has added another leg to his Adam Sandler Live tour that will see him make seven additional stops throughout the United States this spring.

“One more week of fun? Let’s do it!” the three-time Grammy nominee wrote on Instagram, captioning a photo of the tour’s official poster that features him playing a guitar to an excited crowd.

The new leg of the tour begins on April 13 at New Jersey’s Prudential Center and will make stops in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit, Louisville and Cleveland before concluding on April 21 at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena.

Fans looking to secure tickets can do so through Live Nation’s presale starting on Thursday (March 2) at 12 p.m. local time. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public starting on Friday, March 3 at 12 p.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

Before hitting the road, Sandler will star opposite Jennifer Aniston in Murder Mystery 2, which premieres March 31 on Netflix.

See Sandler’s list of tour dates — and official poster for the trek — below.

ADAM SANDLER LIVE TOUR DATES: 

  • Thu April 13 — Newark, N.J. — Prudential Center
  • Fri April 14 — Philadelphia, Penn. — Wells Fargo Center
  • Sun April 16 — Buffalo, N.Y. — KeyBank Center
  • Mon April 17 — Detroit, Mich. — Little Caesars Arena
  • Tue April 18 — Louisville, Ky. — KFC Yum! Center
  • Wed April 19 — Cleveland, Ohio — Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
  • Fri April 21 — Baltimore, M.D. — CFG Bank Arena
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Olivia Rodrigo Honors Lana Del Rey at 2023 Billboard Women in Music

Lana Del Rey was honored with the Visionary Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday (March 1). And last year’s Woman of the Year, Olivia Rodrigo, stopped by to introduce the trailblazing singer-songwriter.

Rodrigo, a chart-topping, award-winning superstar is just 20 but she’s already packed in more highlights than many would achieve in a full life. But tonight, it was all about Del Rey and the many and varied gifts she’s shared with her fans.

“Lana has raised an entire generation of music lovers and songwriters like me,” Rodrigo enthused, “and taught them that there’s beauty in their vulnerability and power in their melancholy.”

Like many of us, it was 2012’s “Video Games” that hooked-in Rodrigo. “I still consider that song to be probably the best love song of all time,” she explained. “She captures sadness, anger and sensuality in a way only the greatest of songwriters ever could.”

The greatness doesn’t end with those “perfectly written albums, life-changing poetry and heavenly voice,” said Rodrigo, praising the living legend’s “unwavering authenticity.”

Billboard’s Visionary Award recipient, she continued, “has forged her own path, her entire career constantly raising the bar for herself and creating art that pushes boundaries and changes lives.”

Rodrigo, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is one of those fans who’s life is changed by Del Rey, for the better.

Read Olivia Rodrigo’s induction speech in full below.

Hey guys, I am so grateful to be here tonight celebrating so many incredible women. And I’m beyond honored to present the visionary award to someone who couldn’t be more deserving of it if they tried, Miss Lana Del Rey.

Lana’s career has spawned 15 Hot 100 hits and eight consecutive top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. She’s brought equal passion to poetry, photography and film, including collaborations with soundtracks like “Big Eyes” and “The Great Gatsby.”

More important than her lost list of accolades though, is the unique way she impacts everyone who encounters her in her music. Lana has raised an entire generation of music lovers and songwriters like me, and taught them that there’s beauty in their vulnerability and power in their melancholy.

The first song that I ever heard of Lana’s was “Video Games.” I still consider that song to be probably the best love song of all time. She captures sadness, anger and sensuality in a way only the greatest of songwriters ever could.

What I admire most about Lana though, even more than her perfectly written albums, life-changing poetry and heavenly voice is her unwavering authenticity.

Lana has forged her own path, her entire career constantly raising the bar for herself and creating art that pushes boundaries and changes lives.

She never sacrificed her unique voice and perspective on a world and an industry that constantly tries to put people in a box. And if that doesn’t make you a visionary, I truly don’t know what does.

She’s also just the coolest, kindest, nicest girl to ever exist, and Lana…I love you.

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Carrie Underwood Dazzles With Vocal Firepower, Commanding Performances—and Surprise Guests—in Nashville

Carrie Underwood may have 16 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits and nine top country albums to her credit, but her live shows spotlight her gift as a multi-faceted and genre-fluid vocalist and performer.

One of music’s mightiest vocalists, Underwood brought her headlining The Denim & Rhinestones Tour to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (March 1), and used her nearly two-hour set to showcase her range of influences.

Seven-time CMA Award winner Underwood revealed an amped-up twang on the staunchly country “She Don’t Know” (which Underwood noted was partially inspired by Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”) from her Denim & Rhinestones album, as she donned a glittering, gold fringe coat and matching cowboy hat. She later wore a black leather jacket and demonstrated a growling, hard-core cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.”

Meanwhile, the megawatt, pure-toned rendering of her 2005 debut “Jesus, Take The Wheel”– meshed with gospel hymn “How Great Thou Art”– instantly had many in the approximately 20,000-capacity venue raising their hands.

“When we started working on [the Denim & Rhinestones] album and they asked me what I wanted to do, I said, ‘I just want to have fun,” the eight-time Grammy winner told the crowd. “I love singing these songs and dancing along. It makes my heart very happy to be able to sing all the Denim & Rhinestones songs.”

Echoing the light-hearted, bubbly tone of her Denim & Rhinestones era, white and pink streamers cascaded from the ceiling as Underwood opened the show with a trifecta of early hits, “Good Girl,” “Church Bells” and “Undo It.”

Of course, there was still plenty of drama, sass and uplifting music ahead for the evening, including “Blown Away,” “Last Name,” “Flat on the Floor,” and “Wasted,” which Underwood called one of her favorite songs. Her rendition of “Cry Pretty,” with its stunning final flurry of notes, brought the crowd to its feet, with cheers hearty enough to cause Underwood to pause and thank the audience, before finishing the song.

“This is our hometown show. Are you gonna help us blow the roof off of this place tonight?,” Underwood said early in the show, challenging the audience.

An array of production elements further elevated the music—fire shot up from the stage during “Burn,” while during “Ghost Story,” Underwood was hoisted into the air on a flower-laden swing that transported her over the crowd to a satellite stage in the back of the room, where she performed another revenge-fueled song (albeit this one seeking physical rather than emotional revenge), with the dramatic “Two Black Cadillacs” and “Garden,” a gentler, more reflective song from Denim & Rhinestones.

“It’s a good reminder to myself and hopefully for anybody that listens to it, that it is very important, especially in today’s world, to put positive things out into the world,” Underwood said.

Settling in to perform on the smaller stage at the back of the arena, Underwood noted that her two previous tours—the Cry Pretty Tour 360 and the Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round—were each held in the round, something she loved because it allowed the singer-songwriter “to see everybody, at some point.”

“For this one I said, ‘I know people are going to say we need to switch it up,’ and I agree, it’s good to switch things up, [good] for you, and for us, to keep things interesting. But I said, ‘I’ll do it on one condition: I gotta be able to see everybody.’”

Addressing the crowd at the back of the arena, she said, “So hello. This is how we do it”— quickly slipping in a vocalization of the 1995 Montell Jordan hit, before adding with a grin, “I fly. I put myself in harm’s way so I can see everyone.”

To return to the mainstage, she took a cue from her Carrie Underwood: Reflection residency at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, and once again taking to the sky during “Crazy Angels,” turning in some aerial acrobatics while harnessed into a steel ball with neon wings.

Underwood also had a few surprise guests ready for Music City: early on in the evening, the crowd’s cheers reached a fever-pitch as Jason Aldean joined Underwood for their multi-week No. 1, Grammy-nominated hit “If I Didn’t Love You.”

Underwood’s time on the satellite stage saw the reunion of “Paisleywood,” as Brad Paisley joined her onstage and the two quickly resumed a tradition well-remembered from their 11-year tenure as co-hosts of the CMA Awards—a quirky song filled with witty zingers.

In this case, they poked fun at the 2022 CMA Awards co-hosts, Luke Bryan and NFL legend Peyton Manning, with Underwood singing that Paisley was funnier than Bryan, and Paisley returning the jab and telling Underwood that she was “Prettier than Peyton.” They continued in song in earnest, singing, “I know you’ve missed us, We’ve missed you, too/ Let’s have some fun at Bridgestone Arena, like we used to do,” before Paisley tucked in a humorous nod to the tour’s title, with a lyric about wearing rhinestone “underoos.” “Paisleywood” followed with their 2011 hit, the sensuous “Remind Me.”

Underwood welcomed tour opener Jimmie Allen back to the stage for “Denim & Rhinestones,” as Underwood and “Freedom Was a Highway” hitmaker Allen shared choreographed dance moves.

Underwood, a Grand Ole Opry member who commandeered a medley of classic country songs from various eras on the ACMs in 2020, is the same artist who released the faith-centric project My Savior and Christmas album My Gift, and embraced her love of rock, welcoming Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose during her Stagecoach Festival set last year, sang with Aerosmith on the ACM Awards and performed with Joan Jett during CMA Fest. At Bridgestone, some of her concert’s most stunning moments were her rock-edged songs, such as when she prowled the stage with consummate swagger during “Poor Everybody Else,” and pummeled a drum set, before tossing the drumsticks and retaking control of the mic.

She closed the evening with her 2006 hit “Before He Cheats,” and yielding her mic at moments to the audience, who roared their approval and took over the track’s defiant, self-affirming chorus.

Still, the most compelling portion of the concert—the heart of the show beyond even the songs, high-octane voice, special guests and sizzling production—was simply Underwood herself. The singer-songwriter radiated a pure joy and a full-throttle, energetic passion—hallmarks of an entertainer in full command of her artistry.

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BIG WETT Signs With Play It Again Sam: Exclusive

BRISBANE, Australia — BIG WETT is set to make a splash with a new deal through Play It Again Sam, Billboard can exclusively reveal.

To celebrate her partnership with the independent music specialist, announced Wednesday (March 2), BIG WETT drops a fresh cut, “NUMBER 1 PUSSY,” produced by Confidence Man’s Reggie Goodchild.

“NUMBER 1 PUSSY” arrives with an eye-catching official video, directed by Lewis Stephenson and edited by Joe Aguis (Pollen Arts).

The Melbourne native “is a superstar in the making,” reckons Russell Crank, London-based head of A&R at Play It Again Sam. “Armed with huge hooks, banging beats and bucketloads of NSFW fun, everything about BIG WETT is totally addictive”.

Director of [PIAS] Australia Mari Stuart adds, “Like most people who have been lucky enough to catch her live, the [PIAS] Australia team have fallen in love with the enigma that is BIG WETT. For the uninitiated, be warned about the ridiculously fun and very NSFW lyrics you’ll soon have stuck in your head”.

Straddling a sound that captures the energy of electroclash, ‘90s rave and femme power, BIG WETT built the buzz when she uploaded a batch of demos to Soundcloud in late 2021.

Your folks will hate the tunes “EAT MY ASS” and “KING DICK,” but they caught the attention of the right people — tastemakers at triple j, Triple R, RTR FM, PBS FM, 4ZZZ and elsewhere. As soon as promoters caught her riotous performances, she landed on some of the country’s biggest stages.

Breakout performances at Bigsound 2022, Meredith Music Festival and Gaytimes will be followed by slots at Pitch Music and Arts Festival in Moyston, Brighton’s The Great Escape and this Saturday (March 4) for the BIG WETT Mardi Gras Party in Sydney.

“I’m so excited to be surrounded by the team at [PIAS] who really understand the project, and who are excited to see it grow,” comments BIG WETT in a statement. “We’re all stoked to be releasing more music over the next year together and really giving each song a chance to have its own moment”.

Founded in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michael Lambot, Play It Again Sam is the imprint at the heart of the [PIAS] Label Group, which oversees the business’ various record label interests and is a leader among Europe’s independent music companies. Its global roster includes Lykke Li, Anna of the North and Soulwax

Last year, Universal Music Group (UMG) struck a deal to acquire a 49% shareholding in parent PIAS Group.

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Here’s SZA’s Full Billboard Women in Music Speech

SZA took the stage at YouTube Theater on Wednesday (March 1), where she was being honored as the Woman of the Year at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards.

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After an in-person introduction from Coi Leray and a partially sung message from Lizzo via video, the SOS auteur – who has topped the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks and counting – took the stage.

Here’s her full speech.

“I’m taped in here for high hell, y’all,” she said of her outfit. “I just want to thank God and my parents are here, my mom and my dad and right here, and my whole team [at TDE], Punch [Terrence Henderson] and MeLisa [Heath] and Top [Anthony Tiffith] and Amber, who is my best friend, we were roommates in college, and now she just makes sure I don’t fall apart every single day. To RCA, just everybody.

“I don’t know. A couple days ago MeLisa was like – I was about to go on stage, I’m on tour right now, today is my day off – she was like, ‘You should take time to write your speech.’ And then it’s like, ’10 seconds to stage’ and it’s like, ‘OK.’

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“I didn’t write anything but that’s also who I am. I’m a very off the dome person. What I wanted to say is that there’s so many women in this room right now that I respect so deeply. This could have been any of us in this room.

“Whether it’s Lana Del Rey or Olivia Rodrigo or Chloe or Doechii who is a f–king star or Latto, or even Coi, my very own Jersey baby. I think sometimes there’s a misconception where everybody always feels like that girl, like, oh, I know I’m that b—-h and I have a lot of confidence. It’s OK to not be that person all the time. I used to feel like I didn’t belong because I don’t always feel like that. But I realized that the key is to stay open and available for whatever the universe or God wants to do with your life. Even when you don’t know who you are or you may not see, I don’t know why telling these on Billboard, I’m grateful — I love you too [aside to an audience member].

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“But I really just want my life to be more than music, to be more than just an artist. I want to serve others, I want to serve people I want to be open and available to whatever God wants from me and saying yes to everything that’s scary to everything that feels like it’s not for you or where you don’t belong. It’s really the only way we walk through those doors. I encourage everybody to continue to be inspired and just stay available. You don’t have to be confident or even know that you are the one, or anything like that, you just have to say yes to the possibility. I’m grateful and thank you all for saying yes to me and I hope everybody has a blessed night. Thank you very much.”

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Billboard Women In Music 2023: Photos From the Show

Some of music’s biggest names and rising stars gathered to celebrate and support woman artists, executives, producers and creators who have made an impact in their communities and the music industry at Billboard’s annual Women In Music event on Wednesday (March 1) at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.

The star-studded event featured performances from Woman of the Year honoree SZA, Becky G (Impact Award), Doechii (Rising Star), Kim Petras (Chartbreaker), Lainey Wilson (Rulebreaker) and TWICE (Breakthrough Artist). On hand to present were Sabrina Carpenter, Dove Cameron, Chloe Bailey, Coi Leray and Wondagurl. There was also a surprise appearance by global superstar Bad Bunny, who was on hand to present Ivy Queen with the Icon Award.

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This Women In Music Executive of the Year honoree was Sylvia Rhone, the CEO and chairwoman of Epic Records. During her speech, she gave a shout-out to her fellow honorees SZA and Rosalia, who received the inaugural Producer of the Year Award. “You changed the game for R&B music, and R&B music is where I come from, and we’re back!” Rhone said of the “Kill Bill” artist. “And Rosalia particularly because that’s a historic win to be producer of the year.”

During her own acceptance speech — which was unscripted — SZA shared her deep respect for the other women in the room. This could have been any of us,” she said.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by Emmy Award-winning actress and writer Quinta Brunson. Check out moments from the 2023 Billboard Women In Music event below.