Louder: The concert cold war in a quiet enclave

Plus: Diddy in jail, Coachella billboards, 8 new songs and more

View in browser|nytimes.com April 19, 2025 By Caryn Ganz Summer festival season is now upon us. Coachella, the spring bacchanal that marks its start, is in the middle of its second weekend, and as Matt Stevens reports from Los Angeles, the biggest buzz this year may have been for the billboards dotting the highway on the way to the desert event. And the story in Queens, N.Y., is a fierce battle between those in favor of concerts at Forest Hills Stadium — an outdoor venue that opened in 1923 as a tennis stadium — and those opposed. Annie Aguiar heard a host of opinions while reporting on the neighborhood conflict. ("Not long ago, when I was interviewing the main concert promoter," she writes, "a passer-by interrupted to proclaim, 'Everything out of his mouth is a lie.'") Also this week: What, exactly, is going on with the Hot 100? The new Popcast dives into some surprising hits on Billboard's singles chart. And Jon Caramanica wrote about a recent chart topper — Playboi Carti — and how he and his myriad inheritors are bringing the rowdy energy of festival culture into rap music, and where that may lead next. Melena Ryzik spoke with Jordan Firstman, Mae Martin, Cat Cohen and Kyle Mooney — four comedians who have made albums (of music!) about what's driving their pivots. And in the lead-up to Sean Combs's federal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, Julia Jacobs gave us a fascinating look at what his life has been like inside the Brooklyn jail where he's been held since his arrest last fall. Graham Dickie/The New York Times The Concert Cold War in a Quiet Enclave Designed to be an idyllic neighborhood more than a century ago, Forest Hills Gardens is now a hub for music — and noise complaints. By Annie Aguiar and Graham Dickie THE CRITICS & POPCAST Scott Dudelson/Getty Images Critic's Notebook Playboi Carti and His Offspring Ponder Life After Rage-Rap As rap continues to move in chaotic directions, the Atlanta M.C. Ken Carson and the electro-pop singer 2hollis are harnessing the power of music that moves bodies. By Jon Caramanica Neil Krug The Playlist Lana Del Rey's Foreboding Lullaby, and 7 More New Songs Hear tracks by Madison McFerrin, Ana Tijoux, Matmos and others. By Jon Pareles Popcast 13 Songs You Didn't Know Were Big Hits Right Now A tour of the more surprising — and kind of anonymous — corners of the current Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. 56 MIN LISTEN THE AMPLIFIER NEWSLETTER A Tax Day Jam Session File your 1040 to tunes by Destiny's Child, Dr. John, Big Tymers and more. By Elena Bergeron FEATURES Jennelle Fong for The New York Times The Hype at Coachella This Year? Billboards. Some of the hottest advertising space is deep in the California desert, where Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Djo, Post Malone and more generate buzz for their festival sets. By Matt Stevens Adali Schell for The New York Times What's So Funny About These Albums? Jordan Firstman, Mae Martin, Cat Cohen and Kyle Mooney have joined a long list of comedians who make music, with songs that are vehicles for bits and earnestness. By Melena Ryzik NEWS Jeenah Moon/Reuters; Paras Griffin/Getty Images Sean Combs Incarcerated: Bed Checks, Monotony and Jailhouse Lasagna The music mogul also known as Puff Daddy and Diddy is now inmate 37452-054 at the Brooklyn detention center where he awaits his trial, which begins next month. By Julia Jacobs New Pornographers Drummer Is Charged With Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery Joseph Seiders, who joined the band in 2014, is accused of recording boys who were using a restaurant bathroom. By Derrick Bryson Taylor OBITUARIES Keystone Press/Alamy Nino Tempo, Who Topped the Charts With 'Deep Purple,' Dies at 90 He was a busy session saxophonist, but he is probably best known for the Grammy-winning pop hit that he sang in 1963 as half of a duo act with his sister, April Stevens. By Daniel E. Slotnik Rick Diamond/Getty Images for The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Mac Gayden, Stellar Nashville Guitarist and Songwriter, Dies at 83 Heard on Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" among other albums, he also sang and was a writer of the perennial "Everlasting Love." By Bill Friskics-Warren Getty Images Francis Davis, Sharp-Eared Jazz Critic, Is Dead at 78 He wrote prolifically about various aspects of the arts and popular culture. But he kept his focus on jazz, celebrating its past while worrying about its future. By Adam Nossiter Thomas Hoeffgen Tim Mohr, Berlin D.J. Turned Award-Winning Translator, Dies at 55 An American who had lived abroad, he sought out books by up-and-coming German writers, while ghostwriting memoirs for rock stars like Paul Stanley. By Clay Risen The Musicians Who Knew a Malian Rock Star Pay Tribute to His Legacy Amadou Bagayoko and his wife, the singer Mariam Doumbia, rose from icons in Mali to international success over the last two decades. After Mr. Bagayoko's death, those who knew him chose a few of their favorite songs. By Elian Peltier STYLES Gloria Gaynor Hit Hard Times After 'I Will Survive.' Now She's Back. The disco queen was in the doldrums before she decided to take control of her life and career. Now, at 81, she's reaping the rewards. By Steven Kurutz FILM Documentary Lens Ani DiFranco Tried to Collaborate. Then the Pandemic Hit. The film "1-800-ON-HER-OWN" follows the fiercely independent artist as she tries a career first: writing a song with another artist. 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