Olivia Rodrigo has introduced out some main legends at her exhibits this summer season, just like the time she received to jam with Robert Smith of the Remedy at Glastonbury.
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This summer season, there’s no pop-star accent like a legendary onstage visitor. A-listers from Olivia Rodrigo to Sabrina Carpenter to Gracie Abrams to Drake have scored a few of 2025’s most talked-about moments by bringing out one among their all-time heroes for a really particular duet at no matter pageant or mega-show they’re headlining that evening. (Earlier within the 12 months, a number of artists at Coachella arguably received this development began for 2025, and Janelle Monáe and Grace Jones prolonged it to a complete co-headlining concert in June.) At their finest, these shock inter-generational collaborations really feel genuinely superior, and for those who’re fortunate sufficient to be within the crowd when one occurs, you’ll be bragging to your folks for months. Listed below are 10 of the perfect unannounced music-legend pop-ups we’ve seen these days.
June 7: Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out David Byrne at Gov Ball
The legendary shock that kicked off a summer season stuffed with ’em. Olivia Rodrigo’s headlining efficiency on the second evening of Governors Ball was already one of the vital enjoyable, high-energy pageant units of the 12 months — after which she introduced out former Speaking Heads frontman David Byrne for 1983’s “Burning Down the Home.” Buying and selling vocals on an absurdly catchy art-pop traditional is one factor; nailing the synchronized choreography that goes with it’s one other. Rodrigo and Byrne did both to wild cheers from the all-ages crowd, grooving down the catwalk aspect by aspect as in the event that they’d been performing collectively for years. “Holy shit, that was so cool,” she stated as he left the stage. Couldn’t have put it higher ourselves. —Simon Vozick-Levinson
June 27: Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out Ed Sheeran at Hyde Park
Only a few weeks later, Rodrigo saved the joy coming when she brought out Ed Sheeran on the London pageant BST Hyde Park 2025. “He’s one among my favourite Brits and the most effective songwriters of all time,” she stated earlier than the pair broke into a beautiful, acoustic rendition of Sheeran’s first hit, “The A Crew.” (Later, in addition they shared a fast TikTok mashup of Rodrigo’s “Happier” and Sheeran’s “Good” that they’d recorded backstage.) Sheeran wrote in regards to the expertise in a heartfelt Instagram caption: “Been a fan of Olivia’s since Drivers License blew my thoughts again at the beginning of 2021… I’m a correct fan. Was gonna go watch the present anyway however she hit me and requested to sing ‘The A Crew’ along with her, which was such a buzz. That music turns 15 this 12 months, and I bear in mind taking part in it to rooms with nobody in it in 2010, so to nonetheless be taking part in it to new followers with one of many brightest stars of the following era is an honour and a privilege.” —Maya Georgi
June 29: Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out Robert Smith at Glastonbury
OK, now it’s official: Olivia Rodrigo is the brand new Queen of the Eighties. O-Rod spent her historic summer-festival rampage taking the stage to the Go-Go’s hit “We Bought the Beat,” however she actually took the prize at Glastonbury, when she shocked the group by bringing out the Remedy’s Robert Smith to duet on “Just Like Heaven” and “Friday I’m In Love.” Goth thought, proper? “He’s maybe the perfect songwriter to come back out of England,” she introduced. “He’s a Glastonbury legend and a private hero of mine!” Remedy freaks in all places beloved seeing Robert have this a lot enjoyable onstage, buying and selling verses and grinning over at her as he sang, “I’ll run away with you!” She’s a longtime Remedy superfan — who can neglect the footage of adlescent Olivia within the automobile belting “Boys Don’t Cry”? — so each stars introduced pure enthusiasm. She even posted a backstage photo of them doing pictures collectively, which was so American of her. It was identical to a dream. —Rob Sheffield
July 6: Sabrina Carpenter Brings out Duran Duran at Hyde Park
Midway by means of her set at BST Hyde Park, Sabrina Carpenter had an uncommon request for her viewers: howl on the moon. 1000’s of cries echoed beneath the London sky, as Carpenter stood smiling. “I’m going to wish you guys to place that howling to good use,” she advised the viewers. Would this be a sultry cowl of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark on the Moon”? A pop rendition of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”? Nope, even higher: “Hungry Like the Wolf,” with a shock look from Duran Duran themselves. Simon Le Bon confirmed up in his signature white blazer and traded vocals with Carpenter, with John Taylor on bass. If there’s one factor we learn about Carpenter, it’s that she loves music history — and the Eighties are not any exception. Right here’s hoping she brings out Tears for Fears subsequent. —Angie Martoccio
July 11: Drake Brings Out Lauryn Hill at Wi-fi
When Drake headlined all three nights of London’s Wi-fi Pageant, it was a possibility to point out off some new strikes and a brand new strategy within the wake of a certain beef you could have heard about. It was additionally a possibility to convey out a shitload of visitors, together with 21 Savage, Rema, Vanessa Carlton, Bryson Tiller, Givēon, and PartyNextDoor. Arguably essentially the most thrilling cameo, although, got here from Lauryn Hill, who carried out her 1998 traditional “Ex-Issue.” The music segued into Drake’s “Good for What,” the 2018 hit that samples “Ex-Issue,” offering a pleasant full-circle second. The gang beloved it — which was particularly good to see after delays at Essence Fest pressured Hill to take the stage through the wee hours and carry out to an almost empty Superdome earlier within the month.
July 20: Zach Bryan Brings Out Bruce Springsteen at MetLife
Zach Bryan and Bruce Springsteen have appeared collectively before, together with on the duvet of Rolling Stone’s 2024 Musicians on Musicians situation, the place Bryan talked about how he and his buddies prefer to go to bars and dial up “Born in the united statesA.” a few hundred occasions in a row on the jukebox. (“That is loopy, my man,” Springsteen replied.) This summer season, when Bryan performed three nights at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Springsteen popped up once more to duet on “Atlantic Metropolis” and Bryan’s personal “Revival,” in a second that bolstered the deep kinship they share as songwriters. Perhaps it’s not precisely the world’s largest shock to see these two guys be part of collectively at this level, nevertheless it positive feels just like the stuff of Jersey legend once they do. —S.V.L.
July 25: Bleachers Convey Out Rufus Wainwright at Newport
Throughout Bleachers’ headlining set on the primary evening of this 12 months’s Newport Folk Festival, Jack Antonoff introduced out a stream of guests, together with Hayley Williams, Jeff Tweedy, Weyes Blood, Waxahatchee, and people singer Dan Reeder. However essentially the most stunning cameo was from Rufus Wainwright, who was not even booked to carry out on the pageant that weekend. Wainwright, 52, got here out to carry out an elegiac rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Not Darkish But” after buying and selling verses with Antonoff on the Bleachers music “45.” It was sudden, however by the point Wainwright took the second verse about “praying on the Nineties” and belted the refrain, he had made the 2020 music his personal. —Jonathan Bernstein
July 31: Gracie Abrams Brings Out Robyn at Lollapalooza
This 12 months, Gracie Abrams leveled as much as the mainstage at Lollapalooza after first taking part in the pageant in 2022. Again then, on a smaller stage and at an earlier time, Abrams performed a cover of Robyn’s 2010 hit “Dancing on My Personal.” Abrams invited the Swedish pop queen herself to sing the monitor this 12 months, describing it as “my favourite music of all time, in the end the perfect music ever written.” (We agree, give or take a number of.) The two singers delivered a blinding, symbiotic efficiency of the music, bringing all of the heartsick feelings and spinning round one another as they hit every observe. It was one of many highlights of all the Lollapalooza weekend, and of Abrams’ profession. In an Instagram submit, Abrams addressed Robyn straight: “You’ve got magic powers and by some miracle you’re additionally beneficiant sufficient to have shared them with us final evening… Thanks for making my favourite music.” —M.G.
Aug. 1: Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out Weezer at Lollapalooza
Olivia Rodrigo has been a Weezer fan ceaselessly, and she or he has the photographs to show it. On Monday, simply after Weezer joined her onstage to play “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So” for her headlining set at Lollapalooza, Rodrigo shared a photo of herself as a tiny child, smiling from ear to ear in a Weezer T-shirt, and revealed the band was really her first live performance again then. “thank u to everybody who got here out and thank u @weezer for nonetheless making me this excited all these years later!!!” she posted within the caption. Weezer, in the meantime, appeared simply as delighted by the entire thing, commenting on the submit, “Full circle second and an absolute honor, thanks.” —Julyssa Lopez
Aug. 3: Sabrina Carpenter Brings Out Earth, Wind, & Hearth at Lollapalooza
“We will simply let unfastened, proper?” Sabrina Carpenter advised her packed Lollapalooza crowd on the pageant’s closing evening. “We will simply groove.” The famous person discovered a legendary group that might match her effervescent, perpetually cheery tackle pop: Earth, Wind & Fire. Members of the funk-soul outfit, together with singer Philip Bailey and his hovering falsetto, proved their Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame standing, delivering “Let’s Groove” and “September” with the identical upbeat ferociousness as when these songs first got here out 4 a long time in the past. Carpenter chimed in with backup vocals, however properly and deferentially ceded the stage to the veterans. —Jason Newman
From Rolling Stone US.