Macklemore, TLC, Shaggy, Ashanti and more to play Fridayz Live tour in November

Macklemore and TLC are headed to Australia later this year to headline Fridayz Live – formerly RNB Fridays Live — after a pandemic hiatus. See which other stars will join them.

American superstar rapper Macklemore will lead a huge bill of r&b and pop party starters for the return of the successful RNB Fridays Live tour after three years in November.

The tour staged by Frontier Touring and the HIT radio network has been rebranded as Fridayz Live in recognition of the Southern Cross Austereo stations changing their music format and Frontier’s desire to broaden the line-up beyond throwback artists.

The stadium and arena shows will also feature TLC, Akon, Craig David, Ashanti, Shaggy, Jay Sean, Dru Hill, Lumidee and Havana Brown with hosts Abbie Chatfield and Fatman Scoop.

Chilli and T-Boz from TLC will be party starters at Fridayz Live. Picture: Supplied

Between the 10 acts on the bill, they have a packed playlist of memorable pop hits – which are guaranteed to be performed at the gigs including Can’t Hold Us, Waterfalls, Lonely, 7 Days, Rock Wit U (Awww Baby), Boombastic, I’m All Yours, In My Bed, Dance (Lumidee v Fatman Scoop) and We Run The Night.

Since its launch in 2016, the concert series has been a fan favourite because the line-ups of mostly 90s chart-toppers perform all the hits that made them famous.

R & B star Ashanti wants to Rock Wit U in November. Picture Supplied / Frontier Touring

On its last run in 2019, before the pandemic shut down gigs for two years, the tour was headlined by the legendary Janet Jackson. Loyal supporters praised her commitment to putting on a high energy set complete with throwback choreography but there were other fans who complained about lip syncing.

Frontier Touring chief executive Matt Gudinski said he was keen to evolve the event after its two-year hiatus beyond its 90s r&b theme, even as nostalgia proved to be a winner for the music industry during the pandemic lockdowns.

“Part of the rebranding was being more representative of what the HIT network plays,” he said.

“Everyone loves a throwback, a bit of nostalgia but we thought Macklemore was a great artist to headline as part of the evolution of the event because he’s been part of reshaping pop music over the past decade.”

Havana Brown will be celebrating her decade-long pop career on the tour. Picture: Supplied

The 2022 headliner Macklemore broke onto the global pop charts in 2011 with his collaborator Ryan Lewis and their hit Thrift Shop, the same year DJ Havana Brown dropped her debut single We Run The Night.

Macklemore was the focus of national attention in 2017 when he performed his global smash Same Love in the pre-game entertainment at the 2017 NRL grand final during the Australian marriage equality campaign. He has recently released a new single CHANT with our own pop phenomenon Tones and I.

Fridayz Live kicks off at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne on November 4 and heads to HBF Park, Perth on November 5, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on November 6, Brisbane Showgrounds on November 11 and GIANTS Stadium, Sydney on November 12.

Tickets go on sale on August 12, with Telstra, Frontier and HIT network pre-sales details via their websites.