Former DOJ official says settlement was announced just one day after Trump met with top talent agency executive.

On Monday, Democrats in the both the House and Senate called a hearing to examine Live Nation’s March 9 settlement agreement with the Department of Justice. Widely derided as a "slap on the wrist" — the agreement landed like a grenade inside the coalition of state attorneys general who had sued the company alongside the federal government for alleged monopolistic practices in how it shaped and grew the American live entertainment industry over the past two decades.

The surprise settlement was the subject of a bicameral spotlight forum held Monday in Washington, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Titled "Corruption Takes Center Stage: How the Live Nation – Ticketmaster Settlement Threatens Antitrust Enforcement," the hearing painted an elaborate portrait of a controversial legal settlement that witnesses described as compromised from the inside and vulnerable to lobbyists with White House connections.

The Live Nation deal, they argued, is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of larger problems at Trump’s Department of Justice and its antitrust enforcement arm.

The most striking testimony came from Roger Alford, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ's Antitrust Division under the Trump administration — and, by his own description, a traditional Republican who believed deeply in the DOJ's antitrust mission before he was effectively forced out.

Alford currently serves as a law professor at Notre Dame, and worked for the first Trump Administration as the Department of Justice’s top antitrust official for international affairs. In the Trump’s second term, he took up the role of principal deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s antitrust division. He was fired from his position in July, in part due to his opposition to the merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Juniper Networks.

"It is here that law enforcement becomes personal," Alford began. "Unfortunately, during my tenure at the DOJ, I personally witnessed the abuse of prosecutorial discretion."

Alford described a department where the theory of the "unitary executive" — the idea that the president has sweeping authority over all executive branch decision-making — has been used to justify political interference at a granular level in prosecutorial decisions that have historically been insulated from such pressure. "As acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recently confirmed," Alford testified, "the president and other White House and cabinet officials now feel free to intervene at a granular level and influence the decisions of prosecutors with respect to antitrust investigations, prosecutions and settlements."

The consequences, he said, are not theoretical. "Given the billions of dollars that are at stake, the practice invites political allies to lobby their friends in high office for specific results. The rule of law quickly becomes the rule of lobbyists."

Alford testified that the lobbying effort to secure a favorable settlement for Live Nation and Ticketmaster reached the highest levels of the executive branch. Among those he identified as advocating for a weak deal were Kellyanne Conway, Mike Davis, former Live Nation board member Ariel Emanuel, and current board member Ric Grenell. "According to published reports," Alford testified, "Ariel Emanuel met directly with the President of the United States to try to get this case settled — and it settled in a matter of a day."

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As George Strait closed out a historic final weekend at Austin’s Moody Center, the arena unveiled a new backstage lounge in his honor during a private dedication ceremony. Named “The Troubadour” after Strait’s GRAMMY-winning album and signature song, the space pays tribute to both the enduring spirit of his music and his towering legacy as one of Texas’ most influential artists.

Designed as an homage to the classic Texas honky-tonks that shaped Strait’s early career, The Troubadour features a refurbished vintage jukebox stocked with his catalog, a burnt orange pool table, restored neon signage and carefully selected memorabilia throughout the room. At the center of the lounge, Strait’s iconic boot prints have been permanently cast into a bronze plaque embedded in the floor.

The dedication recognizes Strait’s lasting connection to Moody Center and his role in the venue’s history. He helped christen the arena during its grand opening celebrations in April 2022 with two performances alongside fellow Texas legend Willie Nelson. This spring, Strait returned for a sold-out four-night run that drew more than 60,000 fans.

For a group of teenagers from New Bedford, a recent trip to Los Angeles felt less like a school field trip and more like stepping directly inside the music industry.

Eight students from the New Bedford High School Rock Band traveled to California last month for a four-day experience sponsored by Musack, the nonprofit founded to provide instruments, music education and creative opportunities to underserved youth programs. The centerpiece of the trip was a recording session at Studio 606, the legendary studio owned by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

For many of the students, it was their first time inside a professional recording studio — and even their first real rock concert.

“The itinerary is really the coolest thing ever,” said Thomas O’Leary, the music teacher and Rock Band Director at New Bedford High School. “The whole school was so pumped for this. I’ve had so many administrators talking to me about this trip in the last month. Everyone thinks it’s the coolest.”

O’Leary launched the New Bedford High School Rock Band program five years ago with just three students looking for extra time to practice after school. Today, the program includes roughly 30 students and performs alongside the school’s jazz band, marching band and chorus.

“We started out years ago just playing basketball games,” O’Leary said. “Now we’re performing in school concerts and community events. I’m really proud of how much it’s grown.”

The relationship with Musack began nearly a decade ago after O’Leary attended a concert by Dropkick Murphys and Rancid in 2017. During Rancid’s set, frontman Tim Armstrong spoke about Musack’s work supporting music education programs.

Years later, after discovering the school’s guitars were “old and busted and glued back together,” O’Leary applied for help.

“Musack has single-handedly outfitted the rock band with most of our equipment,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without Musack’s help.”

The Los Angeles trip represented the culmination of several years of planning between O’Leary and the nonprofit. After delays caused by funding challenges and California wildfires, the experience finally came together this spring.

“It exceeded all expectations,” O’Leary said. “It was four days of the most meaningful activities and performances and workshops imaginable.”

The students packed a remarkable amount into the trip. They attended a soundcheck and concert by veteran punk band Face to Face at The Novo, toured the Grammy Museum, participated in a professional photo shoot, and visited a rehearsal facility where No Doubt was preparing for its upcoming Sphere residency.

“We got to see a lot of really cool things involved in the rock and roll industry,” said student guitarist Sam. “A lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, learning about all the different jobs that go into making live music possible.”

The students said meeting the members of Face to Face and watching a professional soundcheck opened their eyes to the scale of live touring productions.

“Most listeners only see the four or five people on stage,” Sam said. “They don’t see the technicians, the lighting people, the tour managers, the people building stages. There are so many moving parts.”

The highlight of the trip came at Studio 606, where the students recorded a live version of “Knowledge” by Operation Ivy, a song they had been performing throughout the school year.

“We got it in four takes,” said bassist Theodore with a laugh.

According to the students, engineers at the studio walked them through every stage of the recording and mixing process, allowing them to experiment with effects and learn how professional sessions operate.

“They were taking the effort to show us what was going on and having us understand each step of the process,” Sam said. “They gave us choices like, ‘Do you want echo? Distortion?’ It was a really good learning opportunity.”

O’Leary said the students were treated “like rock stars” throughout the session.

“They showed them how they mix a song and explained EQ and compression,” he said. “It was such a learning experience.”

The trip also left a lasting emotional impact on the students, many of whom had never traveled across the country before.

“I think at times they were overwhelmed,” O’Leary said. “But everyone we met kept stressing how important it is to just be a good person and a good bandmate. That was one of the best takeaways they could have had.”

The experience appears to have sparked even deeper creative ambitions among the students. Some are already planning careers in music, while others simply want to keep playing long after graduation.

“I’m going to school for music,” Sam said. “I’m interested in composing and writing rock music. This trip definitely inspired me.”

Mateo, who plans to study nursing, said music will still remain part of his life.

“I want to keep music on the side,” he said. “Compose my own songs and play in bands.”

For O’Leary, watching his students gain confidence may have been the most rewarding part of all.

“I think they left Los Angeles realizing, ‘Wow, we actually did this,’” he said. “They recorded in a legendary studio. They held their own. And now they’re inspired to create even more.”

CLICK HERE TO READ: From New Bedford to Foo Fighters’ Studio: High School Rock Band Gets the Rockstar Treatment in L.A.