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Latest setlist, journey on april 19, 2024.

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Do start believin': Journey, Def Leppard announce only Florida show on 2024 summer tour

Temperatures are dropping in Florida but classic rock fans can look forward to this hot summer night come July.

Def Leppard and Journey on Thursday announced a summer tour that reaches the Sunshine State on Wednesday, July 10, when the legendary classic rock bands perform at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Here's what to know.

How to buy tickets for Journey, Def Leppard

Registration for access to presale tickets opened earlier Thursday, Dec. 7. Sign up at www.defleppardjourney2024.com.  

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. More presale information is at www.citientertainment.com.  

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15.

Both bands also will offer VIP experiences.

How much will tickets cost

Tickets will start $45.50 (prices subject to change). All tickets are reserved and will be also available at the Amway Center box office or at Ticketmaster.com.

What cities are on the tour

The 23-city tour kicks off July 6 in St. Louis then heads to Orlando on July 10. Cheap Trick will perform at those concerts. The tour ends Sept. 8 in Denver, with stops in major cities along the way including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.

The Steve Miller Band and Heart will be the other bands joining the tour.

How big was Def Leppard back in the day

Def Leppard formed in Sheffield, England, in 1976 but didn't become a major act until 1983, with the release of its album "Pyromania" and to big hits, "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages."

The band filled arenas with its stadium-rock sound throughout the decade. Success continued into the late '80s after releasing "Hysteria" in 1987, with hits like "Love Bites," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Hysteria," "Armageddon It" and "Animal."

"Def Leppard and Journey will be reuniting and hitting the road together for the summer stadium tour with Steve Miller, Cheap Trick and Heart on select shows, which makes for an amazing night of music!" Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott said in a news release.

Journey charted major hits including "Don't Stop Believin' "

The Journey sound never truly left because Journey founder Neal Schon has remained with the band throughout the years. His screeching guitar sound set the tone on so many hits, including "Wheel in the Sky," "Stone in Love," "Anyway You Want It," "Separate Ways" and "Don't Stop Believin'."

Arnel Pineda replaced Steve Perry on lead vocals, with other members: Jonathan Cain (keyboards, backing vocals), Deen Castronovo (drums, vocals), Jason Derlatka (keyboards, vocals) and Todd Jensen (bass).

Musical state: Denny Laine to Bob Seger to Donna Summer: Rockers who have called Naples home

Journey joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 while Def Leppard was inducted in 2019.

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram and Threads @lacrossewriter and on X (formerly Twitter) @NDN_dosborn .

Believe it: Jacksonville only Florida stop for this classic rock band's 50th anniversary tour

Don't stop believin', Jacksonville. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Journey is heading out for a tour early next year, and Jacksonville is the only stop in Florida.

The band's 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2023 , with opening act Toto, is scheduled to stop at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday. Prices were not released.

Guitarist Neal Schon is the only original member still with the band, which also includes longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain and singer Arnel Pineda. Journey's latest album, "Freedom," was released this summer.

Postponed: Greta Van Fleet postpones Jacksonville concert after injury to band's frontman

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Jacksonville's music roots: What happened to big 'Southern rock' acts Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special?

Journey last played Jacksonville in 2017. A 2020 date with the Pretenders was canceled by the pandemic . 

Other new shows announced this week:

• Puddle of Mudd, Friday, Dec. 2, at Sadler Ranch in Fernandina Beach. $50-$150.

• Chris Isaak, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Florida Theatre. $49.50-$89.50.

• Judith Hill, 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at the Ritz Theatre. $35-$40.

• Katt Williams, 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. $59-$250.

• Jorma Kaukonen, Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. $34-$64.

• Gaelic Storm and the High Kings, 7 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at the Florida Theatre. $35-$49.

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Entertainment, journey coming to jacksonville for 50th anniversary celebration tour, tickets go on sale to the public friday, oct. 21.

Carianne Luter , Digital Media & Engagement Manager

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One of the most legendary rock bands of all time, Journey, announced a tour stop in Jacksonville next year with special guest Toto.

The 50th anniversary celebration “ Freedom Tour 2023 ″ will make a stop at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena on Feb. 26.

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Journey — diamond-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Famers — will take the stage in 38 cities across North America with their global chart-topping hits, including “Don’t Stop Believin”, “Any Way You Want It”, “Faithfully”, “Lights” and more, according to a release.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets for the U.S. dates beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. local time until Thursday, Oct. 20 at 10 p.m. local time through Citi Entertainment (excluding Canada, Washington DC and Hartford shows).

For complete presale details, click here . Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. local time  here.

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• April 21, 2022 Setlist

Journey Setlist at Amway Center, Orlando, FL, USA

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Tour: Freedom Tour 2022 Tour statistics Add setlist

• Only the Young Play Video
• Stone in Love Play Video
• Don't Stop Believin' Play Video
• Lights Play Video
• Send Her My Love Play Video
• Escape Play Video
• Dead or Alive Play Video
• Who's Crying Now Play Video
• Mother, Father ( Deen Castronovo on lead vocals ) Play Video
• Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' Play Video
• Piano Solo Play Video
• Open Arms Play Video
• Faithfully ( preceded by snippet of “When You Love a Woman” ) Play Video
• Suzanne ( Jason Derlatka on lead vocals ) Play Video
• Guitar Solo Play Video
• Wheel in the Sky Play Video
• Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Play Video
• Be Good to Yourself Play Video
• Any Way You Want It Play Video

Edits and Comments

11 activities (last edit by ExecutiveChimp , 2 Jul 2023, 03:34 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Dead or Alive
• Don't Stop Believin'
• Mother, Father
• Stone in Love
• Who's Crying Now
• Only the Young
• Send Her My Love
• Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
• Wheel in the Sky
• Be Good to Yourself
• Guitar Solo
• Any Way You Want It
• Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

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Amway center.

• Toto Start time: 7:40 PM 7:40 PM
• Journey This Setlist Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM

Journey Gig Timeline

• Apr 15 2022 Smoothie King Center New Orleans, LA, USA Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM
• Apr 20 2022 Amalie Arena Tampa, FL, USA Start time: 9:05 PM 9:05 PM
• Apr 21 2022 Amway Center This Setlist Orlando, FL, USA Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM
• Apr 24 2022 Heritage Bank Center Cincinnati, OH, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 25 2022 State Farm Arena Atlanta, GA, USA Start time: 9:05 PM 9:05 PM

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[url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/journey/2022/amway-center-orlando-fl-1bb6210c.html][img]https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=1bb6210c[/img][/url] [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=1bb6210c&amp;step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/journey-3d6b507.html]More Journey setlists[/url]

Tour Update

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JACKSONVILLE MARKET FOR MAKERS

Journey: Freedom Tour 2023

February 26, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

• 300 A Philip Randolph Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32202 United States
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Feb 26, 2023 | 7:30 PM

Since the group’s formation in 1973, JOURNEY has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and has sold over 100 million albums globally. Their “GreatestHits” album is certified 15 times-platinum, making JOURNEY one of the few bands to ever have been diamond-certified, and their song “Don’t Stop Believin'” has been streamed over one billion times alone.

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50 years in, the Journey journey is far from over.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group just announced their 50th anniversary ‘Freedom Tour’ with special guest Toto that will send them to arenas all over North America from February through April 2024.

That includes a stop at Rochester, NY’s Blue Cross Arena on Thursday, Feb. 22.

“We are looking forward to hitting the road again with our very good friends Toto,” Journey guitarist and co-founder Neal Schon said in a press release. “Come join us for a special evening full of fun and rockin’ good memories.”

And if you need tickets to hear “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Faithfully,” “Lights,” “Separate Ways,” “Wheel In The Sky” and so many more timeless hits today, we’re help to help you find them “Any Way You Want It.”

Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, Sept. 29, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can  purchase on sites like Vivid Seats  before tickets are officially on sale.

Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.

Journey 2024 tour schedule

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets for all upcoming concerts can be found below.

Journey set list

With so many hits under their belt, you may be wondering what Journey plays at their live shows.

Although we can’t tell you for certain what they’ll perform at their 2024 concerts, here’s a look at what they busted out at most 2023 gigs, courtesy of Set List FM .

01.) “Only the Young”

02.) “Stone in Love” 03.) “Don’t Stop Believin'” 04.) “Lights” 05.) “Send Her My Love” 06.) “Escape” 07.) “Chain Reaction” 08.) “Who’s Crying Now” 09.) “Mother, Father” 10.) “Let It Rain” 11.) “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'” 12.) “Open Arms” 13.) “Faithfully” 14.) “Girl Can’t Help It” 15.) “Wheel in the Sky” 16.) “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”

17.) “Be Good to Yourself” 18.) “Any Way You Want It”

Journey band members

50 years together is nothing to sneeze at.

As a result, there’s been a bit of turnover since the band’s start way back in the ’70s.

For a closer look, here’s who you’ll likely see onstage at a ‘Freedom’ concert next year:

Neal Schon: lead guitar, backing vocals (1973–1987, 1991, 1995–) Jonathan Cain: keyboards, piano, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica (1980–1987, 1991, 1995–) Deen Castronovo: drums, backing and lead vocals (1998–2015, 2021–) Arnel Pineda: lead vocals (2007–) Jason Derlatka: keyboards, backing and lead vocals (2019–) Todd Jensen: bass, backing vocals (2021–)[138]

Journey new music

In 2022, Journey dropped their 16th studio album “Freedom.”

The 73-minute record is comprised of 15 songs that all harken back to the band’s glory years.

Anthemic choruses, soaring guitar solos and heartfelt ballads litter the record.

For our money, the hard rockin’ “You Got The Best Of Me” is the highlight of “Freedom” although the catchy “All Day And All Night” comes in a close second.

Want to hear the record for yourself?

You can listen to “Freedom” in its entirety here.

Steve Lukather’s long-running rock group are headliners in their own right.

Most will know them for their smash singles like “Africa,” “Rosanna” and “Hold The Line” but their catalog runs much deeper than that.

Over the course of their six decades (!) together, they’ve released 14 albums with the most recent hitting shelves in 20128.

If you’d like to brush up on their output, you can find Toto’s complete discography here.

Classic rockers on tour in 2023-24

Many Rock and Roll Hall of Famers never stopped believing and are still out and about.

Here are just five of our favorites you won’t want to miss these next few months.

•  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

•  The Eagles

• Aerosmith

•  Billy Joel

•  Stevie Nicks

Who else is touring? Check out our list of the 22 biggest classic rockers on tour in 2023 here to find out.

Prefer slightly more modern music? We compiled the 107 biggest ’80s stars on tour in 2023 too.

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Hugely successful stadium rock outfit, Journey have sold millions of records, after rising to prominence in the 70s and 80s, perhaps best known for their hit single, "Don't Stop Believing."

Journey began life in San Francisco, US, having formed in 1973, spending several years developing their sound and lineup over their early albums. Their initial offerings were moderately successful jazz-rock records, that frequently broke out into instrumental experimentations. The influence of musical prodigy and former Santana guitarist, Neal Schon, was certainly on display, backed by Ross Valory (bass), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) and George Tickner (guitar), although George left after one album. Former Santana member, Gregg Rolie (keyboards, vocals) joined shortly after.

Not finding mainstream success, Journey decided they needed to find a strong vocalist, employing Steve Perry for the role. His presence immediately had an effect, with 1978's "Infinity" selling a million records in just one year. "Evolution" and "Departure" continued this success yet it was with "Escape" that they had created a real hit, featuring three Top Ten singles, "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believing" and "Open Arms." Journey sold millions of copies of "Escape," topping the charts internationally. 1983's "Frontiers" also spawned a number of hits, with Perry then embarked upon a solo venture, achieving double-platinum sales with 1984's "Street Talk."

Perry returned to Journey for 1986's "Raised on Radio," however the band disbanded shortly after. Perry continued his solo recordings whilst Schon and Cain formed Bad English and created the hit single, "When I See You Smile." In 1996, the band reunited, releasing the widely successful "Trial By Fire," bolstered by the success of the single, "When You Love a Woman." Tours followed, although minus Perry, maintaining the band's popularity.

In 2005, Journey's success was recognized, after receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was followed by the band embarking on a celebratory 30th anniversary tour. Struggling to find a vocalist who could front Journey, they trialled Jeff Scott Soto before finding Arnel Pineda, a Filipino vocalist who they had discovered on Youtube. He made his debut with the band on 2008's "Revelation," which proved Journey still had songwriting abilities, with the album going Platinum. In 2011, they celebrated their prog-rock roots, blending their early sounds with the arena rock style they had developed into at their peak for the album, "Eclipse" in 2011.

Live reviews

I attended the Journey concert at the Minnesota State Fair on Labor Day 2014. It was supposed to rain that night, but the weather gods must also be Journey fans as it was a perfect evening for a concert. It is funny that a group with members in their 60s and the youngest member being Arnel Pineda at 46 had far more energy than the warm-up band with most members being in their 20s or 30s. I have been a Journey fan for a good 7 years now, and I discovered them by accident while browsing through records at a bookstore. As such, Journey to me means Steve Perry and the first time I saw them in concert last year was with Arnel Pineda and hearing him sing the songs that Perry largely wrote and performed was disorienting. I really enjoy the new album Eclipse, and it wasn’t hard for me to enjoy Pineda as these are his songs to sing and his voice is incredible. This year, I was more accustomed to Pineda and was determined to enjoy myself, and did I ever! The band has a great amount of energy and the crowd responded in kind, singing along to the songs and cheering like crazy. You’ll hear the classics for sure (Don’t Stop Believin’ was really special as the crowd really got loud when singing along to that) and that was really fun to hear, but there were some unexpected surprises as well. Firstly, it was nice to hear some of their new songs like "Ritual" from Eclipse and "Faith in the Heartland" from Generations, all the more so as the economy is not very good and many times the Midwest is considered flyover country by the coastal states. As good as Journey's classics are, I appreciated that they played their new songs too. Let's pray that "City of Hope" and "Tantra" will get stage time next year.

In an age where most “artists” can’t sing a lick without the aid of Autotune, every one of the band members can sing in addition to playing instruments. The drummer, Dean Castronovo (a newcomer to the band in 2001) sang the lead vocals for “Mother, Father” while playing drums at the same time. This song is very difficult as the key is very high and requires a great amount of power and range to express the powerful lyrics. He nailed it! I was not expecting the drummer to sing, but it was an unexpected surprise. Jonathan Cain is a very talented man, as he is not only a great piano player, but can play the guitar and provide vocals as well. He was very impressive singing “Anytime” and his piano portions in “Faithfully” were stunning as always. Ross Valory is the bass man, but can sing backing vocals as well.

Neil Schon is also amazing as his guitar work is legendary. From his “here comes the train” sequence in “Don’t Stop Belevin’” to his more intimate moments in “Who’s Crying Now” or “Open Arms”, he can also sing quite well and you are also treated to his rendition of the national anthem as well as a psychedelic guitar piece that has a bit of Indian sitar mixed in. It was really a trip, and shame on the people who were talking during these moments as they were great to listen to. Arnel Pineda is made for Journey. I must admit that I would love to hear Perry sing these songs, but that’s not going to happen and Pineda is the only other person I can think of that can fill Perry’s shoes. He has a tremendous amount of energy, range, and is very kind and humble and still looks amazed that he is leading a band like Journey. He was homeless for many years in his youth and spent a lifetime covering Journey songs and is now leading them. He appreciated how much the crowd got into the songs and promised to return to the Twin Cities. I’ll be there!

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The Journey show is Syracuse NY on August 28 was absolutely fantastic. I had seen them earlier this year and there was some minor sound issues. Not this time. The band hit the stage and rocked the house for about 90 minutes. Their sound was as crisp as their recordings. Neil was incredible as any fan would expect. Dean is a monster on the drums, Jonathan is just so smooth, Ross was as his usual entertaining the crowd with his facial Expressions and Arnel has certainly found a comfort zone and without question is a focal point of the band. When anyone goes to a Journey concert there are high expectations and this concert started fast paced and continued through the night. The band truly rocked the house. They went as far back playing anytime and La Do Da to current release Ritual. The stadium was close to sold out. When 'Don't Stop Believing' started you could hardly hear the back due to the crowd signing along. That's what should happen at one of their shows. The band also expressed their appreciation of the fans. They did not take the crowd for granted. All of the bands members thanked the fans for coming out and Arnel specifically thanked the fans numerous times. The band is not only rocking today like they did 35 years ago, they truly show that they still enjoy it. If you don't have tickets to an up coming show or if you have already seen one of their shows, you should get tickets NOW. This was my second show this year and I would travel again to see them. There was nothing to criticize the band for. They just Came out and nailed it. Great job. Now quit reading reviews and go find where you can enjoy the experience

Not going to lie, I went to a Journey, Steve Miller Band, Tower of Power concert somewhat dreading to see Journey. Like the rest of this world and probably a few more, I have that love hate relationship with Journey's mega hit, sing alongs, and was not too excited to be going to see them. But, a couple of my friends were going and concerts at Shoreline tend to be a good time, so I went along with it. Needless to say, how pleaseanty surprised I was to find myself up dancing and belting the lyrics to songs I had never heard before (you can be sure that when Don't Stop and Anyway You Want It came on I was the loudest one there).

All this coming from the kid who thought it was going to be a real snoozefest. I would categorize this concert as a show to see for the fun and the experience over the music itself. Unless, in some bizarre turn of events, you are in fact a Journey fan, in which case buy your tickets now and throw on that tour t-shirt from the last time they came to town. The lead singer, a short Filipino fellow who apparently they found on tour in South East Asia, will have you wondering if he has been in the band all along with his streaming energy and spot on voice. All in all, a good show to go see with friends. Make sure to get there early and get a good spot to set up shop!

I can't think of anyone who won't have heard the classic hit 'Don't Stop Believin'', and I must say, this was the only track that I was familiar with before seeing Journey live. It wasn't a gig that I had planned on going to, but the experience was just phenomenal. The energy of their performance was just out of this world, especially considering they've been performing for the last 40 years! Each member of the band took a solo which was a really cool moment to give everyone the credit that they deserved, and it was great to be able to applaud each member individually. Even if you don't know the back catalogue of their music, the great 80s vibe is perfect for dancing alone, and the catchy hooks have you singing along before too long, which is what I found myself doing! The balance of the band and vocals complimented eachother well, with neither overpowering the other, making for a great sound in the massive venue, which had great acoustics. Great vocals, band, performance, and tracks. Such a fun night, I would definitely go again, and can say from experience that it really doesn't matter whether you know the music well or not to have a blast!

Arnel Pineda is an amazing addition to Journey. His stage presence is fantastic and he really knows how to interact with the audience. During the first few songs it seemed his voice was drowned out by the music, but the remainder of the concert you could hear him better. The rest of the band is equally talented in each of their respective areas as witnessed by their solo performances. The entire show was fantastic. The only draw back was drunk people in the audience. There was a handicapped women sitting next to us who was unable to stand and the people in front of us refused to sit after multiple times of asking them. A fight started between another audience member due to their lack of consideration. The staff quickly interceded, but didn't have the couple sit down. I think the show should be enjoyed by everyone who purchases a ticket and not by the few who think they are having a private concert just for them. After all, the ticket you purchase is for the seat. You should sit in it, especially if it is interfering with other people's view. Unfortunately this experience overshadowed the otherwise fantastic concert.

I thought nothing could be more exciting than sneaking through a basement window of a university auditorium to see one of the premiere classic rock bands of all-time. It hadn't been 30 seconds after we figured out where there were two open seats when Journey opened their set with "Anyway You Want It" to the roar of the 3,000+ fans in attendance. Guitarist Neal Schon sealed the deal for me with his precise, piercing riffs as the band rocked the crowd with intense energy that the crowd responded to all night. The synchronized lighting system that rhythmically danced with the music for almost every beat contributed to those on the main floor dancing, singing and waving their arms for the entire show while even spectators like us on the risers couldn't help but be out of our seats grooving all night long. Journey is one of those bands that has such polished musically talent that they make the experience of attending a live concert unforgettable. Taking into account the hundreds of concerts I've attended - for pay - this Journey concert will go down in the books as one of the top three...even if it would not have been for free.

Wow, what a tour-de-force of Rock & Roll power...

The Journey, Doobies and Dave Mason show was better than I'd hoped or expected...

I'm a music TV producer and have friends who have played in all of these bands over the years so have seen each group a number of times. I'm loving these super-group mash-ups of recent years and this one did not disappoint me.

I do want to commend the sound crew for the "Journey" set because it was one of the most expert and satisfying live mixes and exhibited real genius in the EQ, and overall artistic treatment.

In recent years I've noticed ( to my disappointment ) more events with inept live sound due to the apparent lack of talent or concern amongst our live-sound mixing communities. Nothing can ruin a great performance easier than a slacker at the board and I'm very happy to report, Journey's sound crew are at the top of their game...

I attended my very first Journey concert last night. Journey with Steve Perry was the very first rock band I truly was enamored with. Sure, the others soon followed, like Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Guns 'n Roses, Bon Jovi, just to name a few, but none really truly rivaled Journey.

I've always stayed faithful to Journey. The lyrics resonate, the music simply thrills. I'll forever equate "The Voice" with Journey, but I don't mind saying Arnel.... DAMN, you rock! (Neal, glad to see you can still hold your own ;) )

In short, if you are, or have ever been a Journey fan, they will not disappoint.

Saw them in Calgary in 2012 and Arnel had a flu and wasn't even close to top form and the rest of the band had to give him breaks because he was so sick. This time everyone was at their best and it was truly a great show. Very few vocalists sound as good live as they do in a studio, Arnel Pineda is one of them. Neal Schon's solo project wasn't a bad opener, but it didn't exactly get the audience excited either. Overall it was a spectacular show though, I'd see them again without question because of it.

This band just doesn't quit!! Have been going to see them since the70's and they are still o e of the best shows going these days. My daughter is now a big fan. The show last night in Louisville was as good as ever. These guys work hard and it shows in the quality of the show.

Now it's even more fun to watch knowing they are in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame!!!

If they come anywhere around do not miss the show!! I came to this KY show from FL....

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Past concerts

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Peoria Civic Center Arena

CHI Health Center Omaha

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Journey tour dates and tickets 2024-2025 near you

Want to see Journey in concert? Find information on all of Journey’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

Journey is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 17 concerts across 5 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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• Wilkes-barre, PA, US
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2024 Tour Dates

You Got The Best Of Me

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The Way We Used To Be

The first new song from Journey in 10 years. Listen as the classic band roars back to form.

A soaring, modern album of 12 original songs. "This is Journey with combat boots on."

11 re-recorded classics in union with 11 new, hard-hitting tracks. Find your revelation.

Steve Augeri’s debut album with the band, featuring "All the Way" and "Higher Place"

Trial By Fire

The blazing, rowdy reunion after a 10-year hiatus.

Raised On Radio

The ninth studio album from Journey

4-times platinum, and featuring the legendary ballad "Faithfully"

The legendary origin of "Don't Stop Believing", "Open Arms", and 9 more epic tracks.

The ferocious hit album including "Any Way You Want It" and more.

The breakthrough triple-platinum album, bringing Journey into the mainstream with "Touchin', Lovin', Squeezin'".

Journey arrives at its iconic style on their fourth studio album, featuring "Wheel In the Sky"

Look Into the Future

Jonathan Cain

Keys, songwriting.

Lead Guitar, Songwriting

Arnel Pineda

Lead vocals, 2024 freedom tour merch, platinum logo 50th anniversary zip hoodie, gold logo 50th anniversary zip hoodie, black/grey elmo raglan, 2024 green tie dye infinity wings tee, ladies infinity tee - black, ladies infinity tee - mauve, 50th anniversary trucker hat, 2024 soar trucker hat, 50th anniversary snapback hat, 50th anniversary bronze scarab tote, 50th anniversary bronze scarab koozie, journey’s “don’t stop believin’” recognized by forbes as officially the biggest song of all time.

You’ve heard it literally everywhere since the 80’s: on the radio of every car you’ve ever owned, at every major sporting event you’ve attended in the last 20 years...

ROCK ROYALTY REUNITE: DEF LEPPARD AND JOURNEY ANNOUNCE 2024’s BIGGEST SUMMER STADIUM TOUR

THE BANDS WILL BE JOINED IN VARIOUS CITIES BY ROCK LEGENDS: STEVE MILLER BAND, HEART & CHEAP TRICK  (December 7, 2023) – Two of rock's most iconic and influential bands, JOURNEY...

You’ve heard it literally everywhere since the 80’s: on the radio of every car you’ve ever owned, at every major sporting event you’ve attended in the last 20 years (including...

THE LEGENDARY ROCK BAND JOURNEY CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FREEDOM TOUR 2023

One of the most legendary rock bands of all time, JOURNEY, announces the continuation of their highly successful tour with the 50th Anniversary Celebration Freedom Tour 2023 featuring, very special guest TOTO. JOURNEY , Diamond-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will take the stage in 38 cities across North America with their catalog of global chart-topping hits, including "Don't Stop Believin”, "Any Way You Want It", "Faithfully", "Lights" and more.

Presented by AEG Presents, JOURNEY Freedom Tour 2023 begins February 4 in Allentown, PA – making stops in Austin, Montreal, Memphis and more – before wrapping April 25 at the brand new Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, CA. The 2023 run includes rescheduled dates in Washington DC, Hartford, Toronto and Quebec that were postponed earlier this year due to covid.

Q&A: Neal Schon On The ‘Freedom’ Of Journey, His Friendship With Carlos Santana And Much More

Journey will release Freedom , their first album in 11 years, this Friday (July 8). With the 11-year gap between records, the band's longest break between albums, and the presence of drummer/producer Narada Michael Walden, Freedom , according to guitarist Neal Schon, is a true representation of who Journey is in 2022.

Neal Schon on Journey’s New LP ‘Freedom,’ Ambitious 50th Anniversary Plans

It’s been 11 years since Journey released their last studio record, and for a while it was looking like they’d never get around to making one. “Nobody was really interested in making new music,” Journey founder and guitarist and Neal Schon tells Rolling Stone via Zoom from his California home. “It’s very difficult to get new material played and to get people familiar with it before you go out and play live. Everybody in the band was like, ‘I don’t want to do it.'”

JOURNEY DELIVERED FOR PITTSBURGH FANS

Neal Schon soloed many times throughout the one-hour-45-minute set, mustering an entertaining mélange of crisp, piercing notes, with blistering bluster and straight-up shredding.

Journey's 'Escape' Album Gets Diamond Status In U.S. Ahead Of Anniversary

Journey 's  Escape  album has been certified diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million equivalent units in time for its 40th anniversary tomorrow (July 17).

Following its initial release in 1981,  Escape  hit No. 1 on the  Billboard  200...

JOURNEY Among 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2022' Performers

JOURNEY will perform from New York City's Times Square for "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2022 " . This year marks the 50th anniversary of America's go-to annual New Year's tradition that celebrates the year's very best in music.

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with Special Guest: TOTO

• Date Feb 17 , 2024

Event Time 7:30 PM

• Doors Open 6:30 PM
• Availability On Sale Now
• Ticket Prices Visit Ticketmaster.com for pricing

Event Details

Following the success of the 2023 Freedom Tour, legendary rock band JOURNEY has announced a new round of shows for their 50 th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2024 featuring very special guest TOTO . JOURNEY – Diamond-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Famers – will take the stage in 30 cities across North America with their catalog of global chart-topping hits, including "Don't Stop Believin”, "Any Way You Want It", "Faithfully", "Lights" and more.

Presented by AEG Presents, JOURNEY Freedom Tour 2024 begins Friday, February 9 in Biloxi, MS – making stops Louisville, Omaha, Las Vegas and more. The band will play PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on Saturday, Feb. 17

JOURNEY features founder Neal Schon (lead guitarist), J onathan Cain (keyboards, backing vocals), Arnel Pineda (lead vocals) Jason Derlatka (keyboards, vocals), and Deen Castronovo (drums, vocals) and Todd Jensen (bass). Neal Schon is a 3x Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Jon Cain is a recipient of two BMI songwriter awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey.

Of the tour, Neal Schon says, ““We are looking forward to hitting the road again with our very good friends TOTO!  Come join us for a special evening full of fun and rockin’ good memories. See you soon, friends.”

Jonathan Cain adds, “Honored to take our timeless songs on the road with another band whose songs are also timeless, Steve Lukather and TOTO. It will truly be a musical evening to be remembered.”

Special guest TOTO, who have collectively streamed more than 3.3 billion plays on Spotify alone based on hits including “Rosanna”, “Africa” and “Hold the Line”, will join JOURNEY on all dates.

TOTO’s Steve Lukather shares, “"We are thrilled to have been asked to join our dear friends Journey on the road again. We had such a blast the last couple of tours across North America together. Great success and so much fun.  It is truly one big happy family, and it is a great night of music. Can't wait to see you all out there soon in 2024!”

For full tour routing and more information, visit JourneyMusic.com .

Additional Ticket Information

Ticket prices include local and state sales tax. Additional fees will apply. Note: Tickets are not available at the box office the first day of sales.

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Parking lots open at 5:00PM

Purchase your mobile parking pass in advance via ParkWhiz .

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• Cars and Vans General Parking: $30 / $40
• Limousine, Bus, Mini-Bus, and RV's: $70 / $80

Bags 4.5" x 6.5" or smaller are permitted. For details on exemptions and FAQs, please visit our Bag Policy page .  The Bag Policy applies to all PNC Arena events.

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Open 5:30PM-7:30PM | Menu

Enjoy preconcert dinner at the Arena Club Restaurant, with a menu created by our Executive Chefs. Please call (919) 861-6100 or  email  to make your Arena Club reservations today!

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Journey and TOTO Freedom Tour 2024

Posted on September 25, 2023

LEGENDARY ROCK BAND JOURNEY ANNOUNCES THE 50 TH ANNIVERSARY FREEDOM TOUR IN 2024

  THE DIAMOND-SELLING ROCK BAND WILL BE JOINED ON TOUR BY VERY SPECIAL GUEST TOTO

Public On Sale begins  Friday, September 29

September 25, 2023  –  Following the success of the 2023 Freedom Tour, legendary rock band  JOURNEY has announced a new round of shows for their 50 th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2024  featuring very special guest  TOTO.

  JOURNEY – Diamond-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Famers – will take the stage in 30 cities across North America with their catalog of global chart-topping hits, including  “Don’t Stop Believin”, “Any Way You Want It”, “Faithfully”, “Lights”  and more.

Presented by AEG Presents,  JOURNEY Freedom Tour 2024  begins  February 8  in Biloxi, MS – making stops in Raleigh, Louisville, Omaha, Las Vegas and more – before wrapping  April 29  in Bridgeport, CT.

Citi is the official card of the  JOURNEY  50 th  ANNIVERSARY  Freedom Tour 2024 .  Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets for the U.S. dates beginning Tuesday, September 26 at 10am local time until Thursday, September 28 at 10pm local time through Citi Entertainment (excluding Canada and Sioux City shows). For complete presale details visit  www.citientertainment.com . A limited number of exclusive VIP Packages are also available. These exceptional offers can include an amazing selection of reserved seated tickets, custom merchandise and much more.

Tickets go on sale to the public  Friday, September 29  at 10am local time.

JOURNEY  features founder Neal Schon  (lead guitarist),  Jonathan Cain  (keyboards, backing vocals),  Arnel Pineda  (lead vocals)  Jason Derlatka  (keyboards, vocals), and  Deen Castronovo  (drums, vocals) and  Todd Jensen  (bass). Neal Schon is a 3x Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Jon Cain is a recipient of two BMI songwriter awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey.

Of the tour, Neal Schon says, ““We are looking forward to hitting the road again with our very good friends Toto!  Come join us for a special evening full of fun and rockin’ good memories. See you soon, friends.”

Special guest  TOTO , who have collectively streamed more than 3.3 billion plays on Spotify alone based on hits including  “Rosanna”, “Africa”  and  “Hold the Line”,  will join  JOURNEY  on all dates.

TOTO’s  Steve Lukather shares, “”We are thrilled to have been asked to join our dear friends Journey on the road again. We had such a blast the last couple of tours across North America together. Great success and so much fun.  It is truly one big happy family, and it is a great night of music. Can’t wait to see you all out there soon in 2024!”

50 th ANNIVERSARY FREEDOM TOUR 2024 DATES

*Sioux City on sale Thursday, October 5

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Morgan hoffmann, in continued comeback from muscular dystrophy, contending on korn ferry tour, share this article.

Morgan Hoffmann’s journey is an incredible story. He can perhaps add yet another chapter to it this week.

Hoffmann, who was diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy in 2017, has slowly but surely started playing golf again in an effort to return to the PGA Tour. The 34-year-old has played in 167 Tour events in his career and earned a little more than $6 million. Doctors told him he didn’t have much of a chance to live.

Now, he’s in contention on the Korn Ferry Tour heading to the weekend in his first full season back.

Hoffmann had nine birdies in a 7-under 64 on Friday at the Lecom Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. He sits at 13 under for the tournament, trailing only Brandon Crick by a shot going to Saturday.

“I’ve been knocking rust off since the beginning of the season,” Hoffmann said. “It feels really good to be back out here competing again. I’m very grateful to be here.”

Hoffmann has finished T-59 and T-52 in his two made cuts in five starts this season on the Korn Ferry Tour, but one weekend is enough to vault someone up the standings and into a position for a PGA Tour card.

His search for alternative treatments for his incurable disease took him around the world, eventually settling in Costa Rica. In 2017, Hoffmann and his wife, Chelsea, established the Morgan Hoffmann Foundation to help the fight against muscular dystrophy.

“The last two years have been a lot of ups and downs and working on health still,” Hoffmann said. “My goal is to get back on the PGA Tour. Let’s have a win, or start there. That’s a good goal.”

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5 Lesser-Known Gems You Shouldn’t Miss on This Florida Barrier Island

From a guided backwater tour on mini catamarans to a stop on the florida distillery trail, amelia island is full of distinctive, off-the-beaten-path experiences—and some you won’t find anywhere else..

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Low dunes and seagrass frame one of Amelia Island’s serene beaches.

Courtesy of Amelia Island

While Amelia Island may be best known for its 13 miles of pristine beaches , this Northeast Florida destination is much more than its serene landscape of stunning salt marshes and unspoiled coastline. Yes, its tranquil, dune-lined shoreline is the perfect place to relax, whether you opt to spend the day out on the water or simply dig your toes in the sand. And you can expect an exciting mix of under-the-radar experiences that make Amelia Island an ideal vacation for all types of travelers, including adventurers, families, and nature lovers .

Zoom through the backwaters in search of manatees and dolphins. Sample the island’s award-winning restaurants and bars on an expert-guided tour. Spend the day at historic beaches. Whether you’re looking for a laid-back or thrill-packed getaway, here are five hidden treasures to explore.

Discover Amelia Island’s Black Heritage

Amelia Island holds an important place in history as the home of American Beach , a safe haven for Black beachgoers during the time of segregation and Jim Crow laws. Founded by African American businessman A.L. Lewis, American Beach and nearby Franklintown were highlighted in The Negro Motorist Green Book and the former served as a thriving resort town for Black Americans until Hurricane Dora hit the area in 1964. Today, visitors can stop by the A. L. Lewis Museum and learn more about Amelia Island’s African American roots with Coast One Tours , a Black historic touring company owned by local historian Ron Miller.

Savor handmade spirits along the Florida Distillery Trail

If you have a taste for fine liquor, be sure to head to Marlin and Barrel . Located in a charming old Florida home, the distillery features as a stop on the Florida Craft Spirits Association’s Florida Distillery Trail, a collection of the 39 best distilleries across the Sunshine State. Visitors can enjoy a tour and free samples of rum and vodka, all crafted and bottled by hand. Try Venture Craft Vodka, made from local molasses; smooth Bearing Light Rum; and Blossom Orangecello, starring Florida’s most famous fruit.

Have a backwater adventure

With lush forests, maze-like marshlands, and serene beaches, Amelia Island has plenty of nature to discover—and just as many ways to explore it. One of the best? Backwater Cat Adventure Tours . Often compared to waterborne go-karts, these two-person mini catamarans are thrilling and easy to use, allowing even first-time drivers to enjoy the ride during a guided tour of Amelia Island’s scenic waterways. Experience rich historic sites, a fun beach stop, and natural beauty, all while keeping an eye out for fascinating wildlife like manatees and dolphins.

Dig into a vibrant food scene downtown

Boasting more than 90 independent restaurants, Amelia Island leaves travelers spoiled for choice. Join Amelia Island Downtown Tasting Tours as they introduce you to the hottest restaurants and bars in the area, as well as the owners, chefs, and bartenders who shape the island’s vibrant culinary scene. Pick from the Booze & Bites Tour (during which guests visit two restaurants and two bars while learning about the history of the restaurant from the owner or chef) or the Cocktail Tour of four spots to taste craft cocktails from top bartenders.

Visit Fort Clinch State Park

Sunset at Fort Clinch State Park

Home to one of the most well-preserved Civil War-era forts in the country, Fort Clinch State Park provides a chance to step back in time to 1864 on the first weekend of every month when a soldier reenactment program fires cannons and demonstrates other battlefield skills. You can wander the rest of the fort’s extensive grounds and rooms on daily tours. Fans of the outdoors will also find plenty to enjoy in the 1,400-acre park, including hiking and biking trails under massive live oaks and three miles of shoreline for swimming, fishing, and fossil hunting.

Taylor Swift releases ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ double album ahead of Record Store Day: Highlights

Catch up on all things 'The Tortured Poets Department':

• Fans celebrated Swift's midnight release of "The Tortured Poets Department" with listening parties and themed gatherings . Many critics praised Swift in their reviews.
• Swift surprised fans at 2 a.m. ET with news of 15 extra songs.
• The album features collaborations with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine. Swift described writing the album as deeply personal. "Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it," she said.
• NBC News' resident Swifties stayed up to blog the biggest takeaways after the album's release.

Vinyl industry rep says pandemic-era manufacturing bottlenecks have eased

"The Tortured Poets Department" is set to be released in special-edition "ghost"-colored vinyl, available both directly through Swift's website and exclusively at Target.

During the pandemic, that might have alarmed vinyl record buyers. As vinyl plants shuttered and employees were sidelined, vinyl production ground to a halt, causing reports of weekslong backlogs and orders going unfulfilled outright.

But in an interview with NBC News on Friday, Dustin Blocker, president of the Vinyl Records Manufacturing Association, said those issues have been resolved and that suppliers now have more than enough capacity to handle any orders coming their way, including massive ones like Swift's.

"In Q3 2023, we saw the [production] timeline start to go back to normal," Blocker said. "And in Q4 it really got back to normal. Now, everyone, including the huge plants, takes only 8-12 weeks [to produce] ... so it's very good news for everyone."

Blocker said any price increases on the supply side sparked by the bottlenecks have essentially reversed.

So, the $40 price tag on the Target edition of "TTPD" is most likely the result of choices made by Swift, her label and the retailer, he said.

Jack Antonoff is sharing BTS pics

Saba Hamedy

Jack Antonoff is giving Swifties what they want: more content.

The Bleachers frontman, who is also Swift’s longtime collaborator and friend, shared pictures of Swift and collaborators on the album, including Florence Welch .

The acting U.S. secretary of labor has a question for Taylor

Acting U.S. Labor Department Secretary Julie Su has a key question for Taylor Swift and her "Tortured Poets Department":

"Is this department unionized?" she wrote in a post on X .

Su, 55, has served as acting secretary since March 2023; she has faced stumbling blocks to being confirmed full time for the role over her perceived pro-union bias .

Destin celebrates Swift shoutout

Nicole Duarte

The city of Destin, Florida, is here for the Swiftie boost.

Google searches for the beach town shot up minutes after Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” was released. The album mentions Destin in the song “Florida!!!” featuring Florence + The Machine.

The city is celebrating the shoutout:

As is Destin's mayor:

Trump gets a question on Taylor

Vaughn Hillyard

A reporter who is part of the pool following Donald Trump on Friday at his hush money trial was able to get in a question to the former president about the new albums.

Trump didn't engage.

Taylor Swift reveals ‘Dateline’ as an inspiration for ‘Florida!!!’

Maddie Ellis, TODAY

Taylor Swift has taken over radio stations, from Channel 13 on SiriusXM to iHeartRadio briefly renaming itself to iHeartTaylor and sharing messages from the songwriter.

Swift revealed in a soundbite played on iHeartRadio that “Florida!!!” — the eighth track of the album and featuring Florence + the Machine — was inspired by “Dateline.”

“I’m always watching, like ‘Dateline,’” Swift said with a laugh. “People, you know, have these crimes that they commit where they immediately skip town and go to Florida. They try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in.”

It’s the same with heartbreak, she said.

“I think when you go through a heartbreak, there’s a part of you that thinks, ‘I want a new name. I want a new life,’” she said.

Or perhaps in Swift’s case — a new era?

Read more at TODAY.com.

The double album appeared to avoid leaks

Kaetlyn Liddy

The standard edition of "The Tortured Poets Department" is said to have been leaked ahead the album's release. The origin of the apparent leaks is unclear, but none of the songs on the extended "anthology" version of the album seem to have been compromised.

Leaks of major artists' work sometimes occur when physical copies of the album arrive prematurely at record stores or department stores, before the tracks are released on streaming platforms. Fans suspect the surprise drop of the double album was a factor in the 15 extra tracks avoiding leaks.

The extra content was so unexpected that the lyrics of the anthology version have yet to be uploaded to Spotify .

‘The Tortured Poets Department’ broke a Spotify record in 12 hours

"The Tortured Poets Department" is already Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day this year, edging out Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" in less than 12 hours, Spotify confirmed to NBC News.

Swift currently holds the all-time record for most streams in a day by album and by artist for 2022's "Midnights."

Who are The Blue Nile? About the Scottish band named by Swift

In the album's ninth track — "Guilty as Sin?" — Swift name-drops a beloved '80s Scottish band, The Blue Nile.

"Drowning in The Blue Nile. He sent me 'Downtown Lights.' I hadn’t heard it in a while," Swift says in the song.

"Downtown Lights," released in 1989, was the peak of The Blue Nile's commercial success in the U.S., with the song reaching No. 10 on the Billboard American Modern Rock Tracks chart. 1989 is also Swift's birth year and the title of her fifth studio album.

Known for their avoidance of publicity, The Blue Nile has released just four albums since forming in 1981.

Fans share their theories and joy on social media

It wouldn't be a new Taylor Swift album without fans wondering who it's about or decoding the names mentioned in each song. (Who is Cassandra , Taylor?)

That speculation will surely continue, but now that the album is out, fans can't believe their luck. Reactions on social media praised the sonic and lyrical range of the album, saying that "everybody gets everything," whether you listen to Swift for her synth-pop hits or her intimate folk songs.

Author and creator John Green couldn't wait to wake up his daughter to tell her she gets 31 new Taylor Swift songs today.

By the numbers: Will Taylor Swift break her own album sales marks?

Dania Kalaji

“The Tortured Poets Department” blasted to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes album sales chart following its release. But will it live up to the success of her previous discography?

Here are all of Swift’s bestselling albums in the U.S. ranked to date, according to data from the Recording Industry Association of America.

“Fearless” (2008): 10 million units

“1989” (2014): 9 million units

“Red” (2012): 7 million units

“Taylor Swift” (2006): 7 million units

“Speak Now” (2010): 6 million units

“Reputation” (2017): 3 million units

“Lover” (2019): 3 million units

“Midnights” (2022): 2 million units

“Folklore” (2020): 2 million units

“The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection” (2008): 1 million units

“Evermore” (2020): 1 million units

TikTok rolls out new features to celebrate new album

Daysia Tolentino

As Swifties show their love for "The Tortured Poets Department" on TikTok, they have the chance to be featured in a "Fan Spotlight" carousel that highlights videos with the #TORTUREDPOETSDEPARTMENT hashtag.

TikTok released a "Taylor Swift In-App Experience" that serves as a landing page for all things "TTPD." Fans can complete challenges in exchange for limited-edition "TTPD" profile frames and some Taylor-related searches unlock animations inspired by the album. Searches for "Taylor Swift," "Taylor Nation," and "The Tortured Poets Department" lead fans to the landing page.

The features are particularly notable because Swift's music was pulled off the platform earlier this year as part of a disput between TikTok and Universal Music Group, though many of her tracks returned earlier this month .

Fans on TikTok have already been loving "TTPD," sharing numerous theories , tears and rankings .

Swift's song 'Fortnight' with Post Malone hits No. 1 on Apple

Jason Abbruzzese

That didn't take long.

The song "Fornight" off Swift's new album quickly hit No. 1 on Apple's top song chart. It features rapper and singer Post Malone.

Swift also took the next four spots with "The Tortured Poets Department," "So Long, London," "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toy," and "Down Bad."

The National's Aaron Dessner on working with Swift: 'some of the most lyrically acute, intricate, vulnerable and cathartic' songs

Aaron Dessner, a musician who is part of the rock band The National, posted to Instagram about working with Swift on the album along with a pic of her in a studio.

He said that he has now worked with swift on more than 60 songs, including 17 across her newest release.

"I am forever grateful to Taylor for sharing her insane talents with and trusting me with her music. I believe these songs are some of the most lyrically acute, intricate, vulnerable and cathartic Taylor has ever written and I am continually astonished by her skills as a songwriter and performer," he wrote, adding in thanks to a long list of other artists and producers.

Will Swift break her own streaming records?

The October 2022 release of Swift's 10th studio album, "Midnights" shattered records on Spotify and Apple Music.

"Midnights" became Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day with 184.6 million streams when it debuted. Swift also broke the record for most-streamed artist in a single day on Spotify with 228 million streams.

The album also become the biggest album of all time by a female artist in Apple Music history by first-day and first-week streams worldwide.

Can Swift outdo herself?

Will Swift's album inspire a new college course?

As Swift became increasingly synonymous with American pop culture, universities around the country started creating entire courses dedicated to studying her lyricism and impact.

Some courses focus on Swift as a business and marketing mastermind, while others analyze her storytelling techniques with all the detail and skill of poetry analysis.

Time will tell whether this new album will inspire yet another college course. Our guess is with all the literary references, it's sure to be on some professors minds.

Read more in NBC News' article here .

Saturday is Record Store Day

The release of "The Tortured Poets Department" will come just in time for a notable day in the music industry calendar: Record Store Day on April 20. The annual event has been observed since 2007 to celebrate independent record stores and is often accompanied by exclusive drops by major artists.

Swift has yet to announce a special event, but the date is marked in the TTPD Timetable on her Instagram, suggesting she might have something up her sleeve.

Swift describes new album: 'Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it.'

Patrick Smith

Taylor Swift has offered fans a glimpse into the creative process behind "The Tortured Poets Society" and the emotions that inspired it.

In a press release Friday morning to accompany the new release, the artist said:

"The Tortured Poets Department. An anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time — one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure.

"This period of the author’s life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up. There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed. And upon further reflection, a good number of them turned out to be self-inflicted.

"This writer is of the firm belief that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page. Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it.

"And then all that’s left behind is the tortured poetry."

To sleep or stream? Swifties question staying up even later

Can you wait until the morning to listen to the 15 extra songs on Swift's anthology?

If you answered no, you're not alone. Online, fans joked that they didn't expect to get this little shut eye.

Among the fans: Gen Z Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.

"I got votes in the morning. Do I sleep or listen" he wrote .

Others had similar thoughts.

"TAYLOR I HAVE A JOB OH MY GOD" wrote one fan, tagging the artist on X .

"lol Taylor I have to get up early to run errands before work please" wrote another X user.

Leave it to Swift to give us adrenaline to keep us all up a little longer.

'The Tortured Poets Department' becomes Swift's longest album

With the surprise release of 15 additional songs, "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology" has 31 tracks.

That now makes it Swift's longest album, edging ahead of "Red (Taylor's Version)" by just one track.

A list of all 15 of the extra 'Anthology' songs

• “The Black Dog”
• “imgonnagetyouback”
• “The Albatross”
• “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”
• “How Did It End?”
• “So High School”
• “I Hate It Here”
• “thanK you aiMee”
• “I Look in People’s Windows”
• “The Prophecy”
• “Cassandra”
• “The Bolter”
• “The Manuscript”

Surprise: a double album!

"The Tortured Poets Department" is a secret DOUBLE album.

In a 2 a.m. ET surprise, Swift announced an extra 15 songs.

"I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology," she wrote on X . "15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours."

It's 2 a.m.

Now what, Taylor?

ICYMI: Swift's powerhouse publicist Tree Paine gets profiled by WSJ

Swift's longtime publicist, Tree Paine, whom many fans know by name, was the subject of a lengthy Wall Street Journal article published Thursday ahead of the new album's release.

While she declined to be interviewed for the story, it delves into how she became one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry since she joined Swift's camp in 2014.

“There isn’t a publicist in NY, LA or Nashville that wouldn’t jump at an opportunity to work with someone as talented as Taylor Swift and her management team,” Paine said at the time, according to the New York Post .

Read the full story here.

Couples are now wary of Swift's 'Lover' as a love song

Elena Nicolaou, TODAY

“Lover” — at least until recently — was widely received as one of Swift’s classic love songs. When the album of the same name came out in 2019, its title single was declared  first dance song material , or even a “ wedding waltz .”

In the song, Swift paints a portrait of quiet intimacy. Her wild “Red” days, of thrilling romances with highs and lows and uncertainties in between, had settled into something steadier with one person, captured by a simple chorus: “You’re my, my, my, my lover.”

But that interpretation is now in question, as Swift recasts some of her songs in a different light. Ahead of the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,”  she released five playlists on Apple Music , sorting old songs into groups inspired by the five stages of grief, or “heartbreak.”

Aaron Dessner is credited as a songwriter on five of 16 tracks

Dessner, who is a member of the bands The National and Big Red Machine, is one of two producers who worked on "The Tortured Poets Department."

He's credited as a songwriter on five of the 16 tracks on the standard album.

Dessner first collaborated with Swift on her eighth studio album, “Folklore,” for which he shared in the Grammy win for album of the year. He made several guest appearances with Swift on the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, joining her onstage during the acoustic set for performances of songs they wrote together.

Here's what some critics are saying in their reviews

Angela Yang

The critics have spoken. Here's a roundup of some of their takeaways on "The Tortured Poets Department."

Billboard ’s Jason Lipshutz praised Swift’s boldness for releasing a “knowingly messy, wildly unguarded breakup album” at what’s arguably the peak of her career. It's more mature than her past heartbreak albums, he writes, and “not everyone will love it, but the ones who get it will adore it fiercely.”

Variety ’s Chris Willman wrote that the album can serve as an “unapologetically dramatic” soundtrack to listeners’ own heartbreaks.

Labeling it Swift’s most personal album yet, Rolling Stone ’s Rob Sheffield described it as “the cathartic confession of a woman who thought she had adulthood — and adult romance — all figured out, only to find herself realizing she knows nothing.”

And unlike on past albums, Swift doesn’t portray herself as a victim in this one, wrote the Los Angeles Times ’ Mikael Wood. Instead, the album emanates “a proudly villainous energy as Swift embraces her messiest and most chaotic tendencies.”

Jack Antonoff, Swift's longtime collaborator, posts love for album

Antonoff, Swift’s longtime collaborator and friend, shared his love for the new album on X .

"Love this album more than I can say," wrote Antonoff, who worked on “The Tortured Poets Department” as a producer.

Antonoff also co-wrote eight of the album's tracks.

Swifties are starting to post reax on X

In typical fashion after a Swift album drops, reactions from fans are pouring in online, and they TEND TO COME IN ALL CAPS.

As any Swiftie will tell you, listening to new music from the artist always proves to be a collective emotional experience.

Spotify appears to be holding it together (so far)

The last time Swift debuted a brand-new album, Spotify crashed. No major issues so far this time around.

Shoutout to the engineers and people behind the scenes who are probably working overtime to make sure Swifties don't panic.

We have a new countdown

Don’t go to bed yet! Taylor Swift’s Instagram page is displaying a new countdown to 2 a.m. ET. This wasn't on the timetable ...

Swift releases statement after album drop

In her first social media post after “The Tortured Poets Department” was released, Swift shared a statement about the album online.

These songs reflect her experiences from a moment in time that was equally “sensational and sorrowful,” she wrote, adding that it is a chapter now closed.

“Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it,” Swift wrote. “And then all that’s left behind is the tortured poetry.”

Who is Clara Bow?

Daniel Arkin

The 16th and final track on the album is named for Clara Bow, one of the leading lights of Hollywood’s silent era.

Bow, unlike a lot of stars from the 1920s, managed to successfully pivot to roles in talkies by the end of the decade. She co-starred in “Wings” (1927), which today is probably best known as the first movie to win the Oscar for best picture.

I’m not a Swiftie, so I don’t have much insight into how Taylor’s music connects to Bow’s acting career — but I’m curious how this track will be interpreted by the die-hards.

The album is here

BRB, we’re busy listening with the rest of y’all.

You can now choose a Swift-themed chat for your Instagram DMs

Instagram users can now set their direct message conversations to a new chat theme inspired by “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Bars, venues hold special Swift parties

On the eve of Swift’s album drop, event venues across the country (and around the world) hosted release parties so Swifties could get their first listen of the “The Tortured Poets Department” on the dance floor.

At Pianos in New York, music from across Swift’s discography will play until the new album drops at midnight. Attendees are encouraged to come in themed outfits and friendship bracelets, and the bar will be serving Swift-inspired cocktails.

In Los Angeles, El Cid is hosting a listening party complete with fan-made merch, giveaways and a themed wall for photos. Attendees can also expect performances from drag queen Jade Jolie, who appeared in Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” music video.

Several Swiftie-themed events are also being held across the Washington, D.C., area, according to The Washington Post, which compiled a list .

A Swiftie mom and daughter are hosting their own album party

Kristie Gilmore, 36, is ready to celebrate with her daughter, who was born shortly after Swift's “1989” album and has been a Swiftie ever since.

Gilmore decorated her Boston-area apartment with balloons, signs and stickers in the color palette of “The Tortured Poets Department.” She sprinkled the table with handmade confetti of the album’s logo and made TTPD-themed “membership cards” for themselves and each of her daughter’s friends.

“They’ve been counting down since Taylor announced this album,” Gilmore said, adding, “They’re just hanging out, having a dance party. They’re gonna try to stay up till midnight and listen to it.”

What are the track lengths?

The average track length on “The Tortured Poets Department” is 4 minutes and 4 seconds, making it the third longest album across Swift’s discography.

The longest song is “But Daddy I Love Him,” which clocks in at 5 minutes and 40 seconds.

“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” is the shortest song, at 2 minutes and 36 seconds.

Travis Kelce shared his early thoughts about the album

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, the star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, weighed in on the new album.

“I have heard some of it, yes. It is unbelievable,”  Kelce said . “I can’t wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops.”

The couple , who have become the internet's favorite love story , were most recently spotted at Coachella 's first weekend.

Taylor Swift beat reporter speaks to NBC's Hallie Jackson

USA Today’s Taylor Swift reporter , Bryan West, spoke with NBC News about the album drop and all the Easter eggs being spotted by fans.

Swift's music is back on TikTok despite UMG dispute

Kalhan Rosenblatt

Some songs that Swift fans know “All Too Well” returned to TikTok this month, months after they were removed.

The songs were among the many tracks Universal Music Group pulled off TikTok after the label and the platform  failed to reach an agreement  this year. (UMG has no relationship to NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)

UMG, known as one of the “Big Three” global music companies, cleared its music from TikTok in late January, saying it was doing so because of a lack of compensation for artists and songwriters. TikTok previously fired back at UMG, accusing the company of putting “their own greed above the interests of artists and songwriters.”

The economics of 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Doha Madani

Die-hard Taylor Swift fans will be spending a pretty penny on her latest album release as she releases four variants of the album with one exclusive track each.

Each variant of “The Tortured Poets Department” is named after the bonus song found at the end of the album: “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter,” “The Albatross” and “The Black Dog.” If a fan wanted to collect them all, the minimum for $13.99 CDs at a store would cost at least $55.96 before taxes.

Longtime Swifties are already familiar with her tendency to provide deluxe editions, as anyone who was around for her original “1989” release can recall the Target exclusive that included three bonus tracks and three voice memos recorded by Swift. 

Her “Midnights” release included a Target exclusive track that was added to streaming only months later, and in May she released a new song on “Midnights (The Late Night Edition).” But this is the first time Swift has put an exclusive song on each individual variant, with no clear timeline for when they might be added to streaming. 

2024: The year of Post Malone and the pop girlies

Rebecca Cohen

Fresh off of a collab with Beyoncé on "LEVII'S JEANS" from her now-famed "Cowboy Carter," Post Malone finds himself on another major release of 2024: Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department."

He joins Swift on the album's first song, "Fortnight." Swift announced that "Fortnight" would be the album's lead single and the song for which she is releasing a music video 8 o'clock tomorrow night.

"I’ve been such a huge fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever," Swift wrote on social media. "I got to witness that magic come to life firsthand when we worked together on Fortnight."

While best known for more rap-focused songs, Post Malone is clearly making the rounds in the pop music scene, having also recently collaborated with Noah Kahan on "Dial Drunk." But his back-to-back appearances on arguably two of the biggest albums from pop artists this year raise the questions: Is Post Malone becoming a pop girlie? Is he just having a moment? Or is it all of the above?

There's a book about Swift's impact headed to bookshelves

Rolling Stone writer and music historian Rob Sheffield's book "Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music" will debut Nov. 12.

He's expected to dive further into Swift’s music and fan connection.

Swifties are celebrating with their own listening parties

Many Swifties are sharing their elaborate party setups online as they prepare to celebrate the album release at home.

Karen Rothdeutsch, 25, has decked out her bedroom in upstate New York with “The Tortured Poets Department”-themed decorations, complete with a platter of homemade cupcakes decorated to match Swift’s various vinyl variants.

“I just made my space a little more immersive for my first listen,” Rothdeutsch told NBC News. “I’ll be sitting in my bed with a box of tissues and a notebook, writing down my thoughts and probably checking into Twitter every so often to see what everybody’s thinking about it.”

She said she procured the decorations over the course of several weeks, but the whole setup cost her less than $100. While she decorates on a budget, she said she did splash out on the vinyl variants and collector’s edition CDs.

Swift's new album is already breaking a Spotify record

Spotify said on X that the “The Tortured Poets Department” became the most pre-saved album countdown page in the streaming service’s history.

Since its launch on March 28, TTPD's countdown page has ticked down to the album’s drop, now just hours away.

Was Swift's Grammys dress a 'Fortnight' Easter egg?

The white gown Swift wore to the 2024 Grammys, where she announced "The Tortured Poets Department," appears to have been an Easter egg.

Swift appears to be wearing a very similar dress in the teaser for the "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)" music video, which will debut 8 p.m. ET tomorrow.

Swift was also pictured hugging Post Malone at the ceremony. Some fans online pointed out a similar shot of the two singers that appears in the teaser for the music video.

Swift drops 'Fortnight' music video teaser

Swift blessed fans with a teaser for “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)," the album's first single.

"At this hearing, I stand before my fellow members of The Tortured Poets Department with a summary of my findings. Album tonight. Fortnight music video tomorrow at 8pm et," Swift wrote in a post on X , which was accompanied by a short video clip.

The black-and-white teaser gave a sneak peak of the visuals for the music video. It's a combination of dramatic period gowns and a bleak medical setting in this supercut that is reminiscent of "Poor Things," which Swift's longtime friend Emma Stone recently won the best actress Oscar for.

Swift had announced she'd be dropping a music video at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow by sharing a “TTPD Timetable” on her Instagram page this week.

Merch is here — and already selling out

Hours before the album’s release, themed merchandise for “The Tortured Poets Department” is now available to order online.

The merch drop includes hoodies, crewnecks and gold jewelry branded with the album’s logo. A display case for the album vinyls seemingly sold out within minutes.

ICYMI: The Eras Tour concert film is on Disney+

In case you need something to do as you count down to the new album, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is on Disney+. Swift announced the film would be available for streaming in February.

The film features all songs from the three Los Angeles tour dates during which it was filmed at SoFi Stadium. They include “cardigan,” as well as four additional acoustic surprise songs from the tour: “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “You Are in Love” and “Death by a Thousand Cuts.”

Swifties online are freaking out over purported ‘leaks’

The internet was at it again this week, with some online circulating what they said were leaks of Swift's new album. It is unclear from where and when the apparent leaks originated, but one Reddit thread is already filled with commentary.

As early as Tuesday, "taylor swift leak" appeared to be blocked from searches on X. Instead, when a user tried to search the phrase, a blank page popped up with the message, "Something went wrong. Try reloading."

The secret message has been decoded

The sixth and final word of the secret message, “mortem,” was revealed today, hidden in the lyrics of the song “Begin Again.”

The complete secret message is: “We hereby conduct this post mortem.”

In a collaboration with Apple Music, Swift sorted some of her existing songs into thematic playlists , along with audio messages from her.

The messages seemed to confirm some fans’ theories that the playlists mirrored the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — indicating that the new album may grapple with grief or loss. Swift later used a song from each playlist to reveal a hidden word on Apple Music every day leading up to the release of “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Swift sets fans loose on an international puzzle

Swifties had a big day yesterday after murals with QR codes were unveiled in cities around the world, including Mexico City, Paris and Chicago.

Fans stumbled upon the murals, which Swift had not announced, and scanned them to find a link to a YouTube Shorts video. Every mural had a unique code that led to a different video, each revealing a new letter as part of a word puzzle.

Fans came together online to help decode the puzzle, which seemed to hint at the new album's first track, because it spelled out "for a fortnight."

Swifties in Los Angeles flock to Spotify pop-up library

Many Los Angeles Swifties celebrated the new album with a pop-up library installation in partnership with Spotify.

The three-day event, which runs through today at The Grove, featured a sneak peek at some of the album's lyrics.

Fans posted videos of themselves lined up for hours to get a glimpse at the installation.

A manuscript was front and center at the installation, revealing new lyrics periodically as the pages were turned over the course of three days.

Many fans online tried to identify other potential Easter eggs in the pop-up library, such as a bust of a peace sign, quill and fountain pens and a globe that appeared to be pointing to Florida, the name of a track on the album.

Why is the album called 'The Tortured Poets Department'?

Fans were quick to note that “The Tortured Poets Department” is the longest title for a Taylor Swift album by a large margin, a distinction previously held by her third album, "Speak Now." Before "TTPD," "Speak Now" was her only album title consisting of more than one word.

Speculation surrounding the new album and its uncharacteristic title has primarily revolved around Swift’s  2023 breakup  with British actor Joe Alwyn after their six-year relationship.

After the album announcement, a  2022 Variety interview  between Alwyn and Paul Mescal resurfaced on X. The pair revealed in the interview that they were both members of a WhatsApp group chat titled the Tortured Man Club, prompting some fans to  draw parallels  between Alwyn and Swift’s upcoming album.

The true meaning of “The Tortured Poets Department” remains to be seen, but the album's rollout has featured references to famous poems like Charles Baudelaire’s “The Albatross,” among other literary references.

Clues keep coming

Speculation continues to grow over clues for lyrics, song titles and the album’s first music video.

Not much from Miss Swift so far

It's been a notably quiet rollout for "The Tortured Poets Department."

No themed Instagram grid overhaul, no lead singles, not even a cryptic calendar leading Swifties on wild goose chases for potential Easter eggs.

A week before the release, Taylor Swift was rocking out at Coachella instead of feeding her fans who are desperate for a hint of what's to come.

Aside from a hand-painted QR code on the side of a building in Chicago, a planned exhibit at The Grove in Los Angeles in partnership with Spotify and a quick video released Tuesday that appears to leave the "Midnights" era in the dust as viewers tour The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has been silent on what we can expect.

In the video , posted to her Instagram account, we did get a glimpse of a schedule that only showed release day, and on it, the promise of a music video on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Fourteen tick marks beneath led some to think the music video could be for the 14th track on the album, or for the leading song, "Fortnight," since a fortnight is 14 days.

Swifties believing in the latter theory proved to be correct. Swift announced that the music video would be for "Fortnight" in a Thursday afternoon social media post.

Swifties online continue to grasp for any details to try to figure out what this mastermind might have in store for her beloved fan base.

What songs are on the new album?

Here's what songs are on the track list.

• "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)"
• "The Tortured Poets Department"
• "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
• "So Long, London"
• "But Daddy I Love Him"
• "Fresh Out the Slammer"
• "Florida!!! (Florence + the Machine)"
• "Guilty as Sin?"
• "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?"
• "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
• "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
• "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
• "The Alchemy"
• "Clara Bow"

Swift has also announced four bonus tracks: "The Manuscript," “The Bolter,” “The Albatross” and “The Black Dog.” Each bonus track will be available on a separate vinyl variant and won't be on the streaming version of the album.

When does 'The Tortured Poets Department' drop?

Swift's 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," will be released Friday at 12 a.m. ET, or 9 p.m. PT.

It will be available for purchase on vinyl, on cassette, as a digital album and in CD form. It will also be on several streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music.

But if you plan to stream “The Tortured Poets Department” right after its release, be prepared for potential delays. When Swift’s most recent brand-new album, “Midnights,” was released, Spotify  briefly crashed  because of intense demand.

Angela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

is culture and trends editor for NBC News Digital.

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The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial

Here’s what has happened so far in the unprecedented proceedings against a former u.s. president..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

It’s the first day of the Trump trial and just walking out the door in my house. It’s a beautiful day, 6:11 AM. The thing that keeps running through my head is it’s kind of amazing that hundreds of jurors are going to show up at the Manhattan courthouse. And some of them are going to know what they’re there for — probably talking to their friends, their relatives about it.

Some of them are going to learn this morning talking to other jurors in line, asking what all the fuss is about. But I really do imagine that there’s going to be at least one potential juror who, headphones on, getting into court. Here they’re going to be there for the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump. And just, I mean, how would you react?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.” Today, what it’s been like inside the lower Manhattan courtroom, where political and legal history are being made? My colleague, Jonah Bromwich, on the opening days of the first criminal trial of a US President. It’s Thursday, April 18.

Is that his mic? Hi, there.

Hello. How are you?

I’m doing good.

OK. Thank you for coming in, Jonah —

Thank you for having me.

— in the middle of a trial. Can you just explain why you’re able to even be here?

Sure. So we happen to be off on Wednesdays during trial, so.

We being not “The New York Times,” but the courts.

That’s right.

Which is why we’re taping with you. And because we now have two full court days of this history-making trial now under our belts. And the thing about this trial that’s so interesting is that there are no cameras in the courtroom for the wider world.

There’s no audio recordings. So all we really have is and your eyes and your notebook, maybe your laptop. And so we’re hoping you can reconstruct for us the scene of the first two days of this trial and really the highlights.

Yeah, I’d be happy to. So on Monday morning, I left the subway. It’s before 7:00 AM. The sun is just rising over these grandiose court buildings in lower Manhattan.

I’m about to turn left onto Center Street. I’m right in front of the big municipal building.

And I turn onto Center Street. That’s where the courthouses are.

I’m crossing.

And I expected to see a big crowd. And it was even bigger than I had anticipated.

Here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Now, I finally see the crowd.

You have camera banks. You have reporters. You have the beginnings of what will eventually become a protest. And you have this most New York thing, which is just a big crowd of people.

[CHUCKLES]: Who just know something is going on.

That’s right. And what they know is going on is, of course, the first trial of an American president.

All right, I’m passing the camera, folks. Camera, camera, camera, camera. Here we go.

Let’s start with Sharon Crowley live outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

I want to get right to ABC’S Aaron Katersky who’s outside of the courthouse.

Robert Costa is following it outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Bob, I saw the satellite trucks lined up all in a row. Good morning.

Talk to us how we got here exactly.

So this is the case that was brought by the Manhattan district attorney. So prosecutors have accused Donald Trump of covering up the actions of his former fixer, Michael Cohen, after Cohen paid hush money to Stormy Daniels. Stormy Daniels had a story about having had sex with Donald Trump, which Trump has always denied.

Cohen paid her money, and then Trump reimbursed Cohen. And prosecutors say that Trump essentially defrauded the American people because he hid this information that could have been very important for the election from those people when he reimbursed Cohen.

Right. And as I remember it, he also misrepresented what that reimbursement was. Claimed it was a legal fee when, in fact, it was just reimbursing Michael Cohen for a hush money payment.

Exactly, yeah. He definitely didn’t say reimbursement for hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. It’s a cover up case. It’s a case about hiding information you don’t want people to see.

Right. And of course, the context of all this is that it is in the middle of a presidential election. It’s 2016. Trump wants to keep this secret, prosecutors allege, so that the American public doesn’t know about it and potentially hold it against him.

Right. And prosecutors are telling a story about election interference. They’re saying that Trump interfered with an election. And Trump himself is also using the phrase “election interference.” But he’s painting the trial itself as election interference as he now runs again in 2024.

Fascinating.

And because we’re in Manhattan, and because the jury pool is going to be largely Democratic, and the judge is a Democrat, and the district attorney is a Democrat, Trump keeps claiming he cannot get a fair shake. This is democrat central. And in democrat central, Trump doesn’t have a chance.

OK. So, what happens once you actually enter the courthouse?

Outside, there’s all this fanfare. But inside, it’s a little bit business as usual. So I go up to the 15th floor, and I walk into the courtroom, and I sit down, and it’s the same old courtroom. And we’re sitting and waiting for the former president.

Around 9:30, Trump walks in. He looks thin. He looks a little tired, kind of slumping forward, as if to say with his body like let’s get this over with. Here we go.

The judge walks in a little bit after that. And we think we’re all set for the trial to start, but that’s not what happens here. And in fact, there are a series of legal arguments about what the trial is going to look like and what evidence is going to be allowed in.

So, for example, prosecutors ask that they be allowed to admit into evidence headlines from “The National Enquirer” that were attacks on Trump’s 2016 opponents — on Ted Cruz, on Marco Rubio, on Ben Carson.

Because prosecutors are in some sense putting Trump’s 2016 campaign on trial. These headlines are a big part of that because what prosecutors say they show is that Trump had this ongoing deal with “The National Enquirer.” And the publisher would promote him, and it would publish damaging stories about his opponents. And then crucially, it would protect Trump from negative stories. And that’s exactly what prosecutors say happened with Stormy Daniels. That “The National Enquirer” tipped Cohen off about Stormy Daniels trying to sell her story of having had sex with Donald Trump, which he denies. And that led to the hush money payment to her. So what prosecutors are doing overall with these headlines is establishing a pattern of conduct. And that conduct, they say, was an attempt to influence the election in Trump’s favor.

And the judge agrees. He’s going to admit this evidence. And this is a pretty big win for the prosecution. But even though they win that one, they’re not winning everything.

They lose some important arguments here. One of them was that after the Access Hollywood tape came out, there were allegations of sexual assault against Donald Trump. And you know this, Michael, because you reported two of them — two of the three in question at this very trial.

Prosecutors had hoped to talk about those during trial in front of the jury to show the jurors that the Trump campaign was really, really focused on pushing back against bad press in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump seemed to describe sexual assault. That was a big problem for the campaign. Campaign did everything it could to push back, including against these allegations that surfaced in the wake of the tape.

But the judge, saying that the allegations are hearsay — that they’re based on the women’s stories — says absolutely not. That is incredibly prejudicial to the defendant.

Interesting.

And that Donald Trump would actually not get a fair trial were those allegations to be mentioned. And so he will not let those in. The jurors will not hear about them.

So this is a setback, of course, for the prosecution, a victory for Trump’s legal team.

It’s a setback. And it also just shows you how these pre-trial motions shape the context of the trial. Think of the trial as a venue like a theater or an athletic contest of some sort. And these pre-trial motions are about what gets led into the arena and what stays out. The sexual assault allegations — out. “The National Enquirer” headlines — in.

OK. And how is Trump sitting there at the defense table reacting to these pre-trial motion rulings from the judge?

Well, as I’ve just said, this is very important stuff for his trial.

Right. Hugely important.

But it’s all happening in legal language, and I’m decoding it for you. But if you were sitting there listening to it, you might get a little lost, and you might get a little bored. And Trump, who is not involved in these arguments, seems to fall asleep.

Seems to fall asleep — you’re seeing this with your own eyes.

What we’re seeing, overall, including our colleague, Maggie Haberman, who’s in the overflow room and has a direct view of Trump’s face — I’m sitting behind him in the courtroom, so I can’t see his face that well.

You guys are double teaming this.

That’s right. I’m sitting behind him, but Maggie is sitting in front of him. And what she sees is not only that his eyes are closed. That wouldn’t get you to he is asleep.

And we have to be really careful about reporting that he’s asleep, even if it seems like a frivolous thing. But what happens is that his head is dropping down to his chest, and then it’s snapping back up. So you’ve seen that, when a student —

I’ve done that.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah. We all kind of know that feeling of snapping awake suddenly. And we see the head motion, and it happens several times.

Lawyers kind of bothering him, not quite shaking him, but certainly trying to get his attention. And that head snapping motion, we felt confident enough to report that Trump fell asleep.

During his own criminal trial’s opening day.

Does someone eventually wake him up?

He wakes up. He wakes up. And in fact, in the afternoon, he’s much more animated. It’s almost as if he wants to be seen being very much awake.

Right. So once these pre-trial motions are ruled on and Trump is snapped back to attention, what happens?

Well, what happens in the courtroom is that the trial begins. The first trial of an American president is now in session. And what marks that beginning is jurors walking into the room one by one — many of them kind of craning their necks over at Donald Trump, giggling, raising their eyebrows at each other, filing into the room, and being sworn in by the judge. And that swearing in marks the official beginning of the trial.

The beginning is jury selection, and it’s often overlooked. It’s not dramatized in our kind of courtroom dramas in the same way. But it’s so important. It’s one of the most important parts of the case. Because whoever sits on the jury, these are the 12 people who are going to decide whether Trump is guilty or whether Trump is innocent.

So how does jury selection actually look and feel and go?

So, jury selection is a winnowing process. And in order to do that, you have to have these people go through a bunch of different hurdles. So the first hurdle is, after the judge describes the case, he asks the group — and there are just short of 100 of them — whether they can be fair and impartial. And says that if they can’t, they should leave. And more than half the group is instantly gone.

So after we do this big mass excusal, we’re left with the smaller group. And so now, jurors are getting called in smaller groups to the jury box. And what they’re going to do there is they’re going to answer this questionnaire.

And this part of the process is really conducted by the judge. The lawyers are involved. They’re listening, but they’re not yet asking questions of the jurors themselves.

And what’s on the questionnaire?

Well, it’s 42 questions. And the questions include, their education, their professional histories, their hobbies, what they like to do whether you’re a member of QAnon or Antifa.

Whether you’re far left or far right.

That’s right. Whether you’ve read “The Art of the Deal,” Trump’s book, which some prospective jurors had.

Right. It was a bestseller in its time.

That’s right. And some of it can be answered in yes/no questions, but some of it can be answered more at length. So some of the prospective jurors are going very, very fast. Yes, no, no, no, yes.

Right. Because this is an oral questionnaire.

That’s right. But some of them are taking their time. They’re expanding on their hobbies. So the potential juror in seat 3, for example, is talking about her hobbies. And she says some running, hiking. And then she said, I like to go to the club, and it got a huge laugh. And you get that kind of thing in jury selection, which is one of the reasons it’s so fun. It’s the height of normality in this situation that is anything but normal.

Right. The most banal answer possible delivered in front of the former president And current Republican nominee for president.

Well, that’s one of the fascinating parts about all this, right? is that they’re answering in front of Trump. And they’re answering questions about Trump in front of Trump. He doesn’t react all that much. But whenever someone says they’ve read “The Art of the Deal —” and there are a few of those — he kind of nods appreciatively, smiles. He likes that. It’s very clear. But because there are so many questions, this is taking forever, especially when people are choosing to answer and elaborate and digress.

This is when you fall asleep.

This Is. When I would have fallen asleep if I were a normal person.

And by the end of the day. Where does jury selection stand?

Well, the questionnaire is another device for shrinking that jury pool. And so the questionnaire has almost these little obstacles or roadblocks, including, in fact, a question that jurors have seen before — whether they would have any problem being fair and impartial?

Hmm. And they ask it again.

They’re asked it again. And they’re asked in this more individualized way. The judge is questioning them. They’re responding.

So, remember that woman who said she liked to go to the club got a big laugh. She reaches question 34. And question 34 reads, “Do you have any strong opinions or firmly-held beliefs about former President Donald Trump or the fact that he is a current candidate for president that would interfere with your ability to be a fair and impartial juror?” She said, yes, she does have an opinion that would prevent her from being fair and impartial. And she, too, is excused.

So that’s how it works. People answer the questionnaire, and they get excused in that way, or they have a scheduling conflict once they reach the jury box. And so to answer your question, Michael. At the end of day one, given all these problems with the questionnaire and the length of time it’s taken to respond to and people getting dismissed based on their answers, there is not a single juror seated for this trial.

And it’s starting to look like this is going to be a really hard case for which to find an impartial jury.

That’s the feeling in the room, yeah.

We’ll be right back.

So Jonah, let’s turn to day 2. What does jury selection look like on Tuesday?

So when the day begins, it looks almost exactly like it looked when the day ended on Monday. We’re still with the questionnaire, getting some interesting answers. But even though it feels like we’re going slow, we are going.

And so we’ve gone from about 100 people to now there’s about 24 the room there’s 18 the jury box. And by the time we hit lunch, all those people have answered all those questions, and we are ready for the next step in the process.

Voir dire. And what it is the heart of jury selection. This is the point where the lawyers themselves finally get to interview the jurors. And we get so much information from this moment because the lawyers ask questions based on what they want out of the jurors.

So the prosecution is asking all these different kinds of questions. The first round of wajir is done by a guy named Joshua Steinglass, a very experienced trial lawyer with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. And he’s providing all these hypotheticals. I’ll give you one example because I found this one really, really interesting. He provides a hypothetical about a man who wants his wife killed and essentially hires a hitman to do it. And what he asked the jurors is, if that case were before you, would you be able to see that the man who hired the hitman was a part of this crime?

And of course, what he’s really getting at is, can you accept that even though Michael Cohen, Trump’s fixer, made this payment, Trump is the guy who hired him to do it?

That’s right. If there are other people involved, will jurors still be able to see Donald Trump’s hands behind it all?

Fascinating. And what were some of the responses?

People mostly said, yes, we accept that. So that’s how the prosecution did it.

But the defense had a totally different method of voir dire. They were very focused on their client and people’s opinions about their client.

So what kind of questions do we get from them?

So the lawyer, Todd Blanche, is asking people, what do you make of President Trump? What do you think of President Trump?

And what are some of the responses to that?

Well, there’s this incredible exchange with one of the jurors who absolutely refuses to give his opinion of Donald Trump. They go back and forth and back and forth. And the juror keeps insisting you don’t need to know my opinion of him. All you need to know is that I’m going to be fair and impartial, like I said. And Blanch pushes, and the guy pushes back. And the only way the guy budges is he finally kind of confesses almost at the end that, yes, I am a Democrat, and that’s all we get.

And what ends up happening to this potential juror?

Believe it or not, he got dismissed.

[LAUGHS]: I can believe it. And of course, it’s worth saying that this guy and everybody else is being asked that question just feet from Trump himself.

That’s right. And you might think you were going to get a really kind of spicy, like, popcorn emoji-type exchange from that. But because these are now jurors who have said they can be fair and impartial, who, to some extent, want to be on this jury or at least wouldn’t mind being on this jury, they’re being very restrained.

Mostly, what they are emphasizing — much like that guy just described dis — is that they can be fair. They can be impartial. There’s one woman who gives this really remarkable answer.

She says, I thought about this last night. I stayed up all night. I couldn’t sleep, thinking about whether I could be fair. It’s really important to me, and I can.

What ends up happening to that particular juror?

She’s also dismissed. And she’s dismissed without any reason at all. The defense decides it doesn’t like her. It doesn’t want her on the jury. And they have a certain number of chances to just get rid of jurors — no questions asked.

Other jurors are getting dismissed for cause — I’m doing air quotes with my hands — which means that the lawyers have argued they actually revealed themselves through their answers or through old social media posts, which are brought up in the courtroom, to be either non-credible, meaning they’ve said they can be fair and they can’t, or somehow too biased to be on the jury.

Wait, can I just dial into that for a second? Are lawyers researching the jurors in real time going online and saying — I’m making this up — but Jonah Bromwich is a potential juror, and I’m going to go off into my little corner of the courtroom and Google everything you’ve ever said? Is that what’s happening in the room?

Yeah, there’s a whole profession dedicated to that. It’s called jury consultant, and they’re very good at finding information on people in a hurry. And it certainly looked as if they were in play.

Did a social media post end up getting anybody kicked off this jury?

Yes, there were posts from 2016 era internet. You’ll remember that time as a very heated one on the internet, Facebook memes are a big thing. And so there’s all kinds of lock him up type memes and rhetoric. And some of the potential jurors here have used those. And those jurors are dismissed for a reason.

So we have these two types of dismissals, right? We have these peremptory dismissals — no reason at all given. And we have for cause dismissals.

And the process is called jury selection. But you don’t actually get selected for a jury. The thing is to make it through all these obstacles.

You’re left over.

Right. And so when certain jurors are not dismissed, and they’ve made it through all these stages, by the end of the day, we have gone from zero juror seated to seven jurors who will be participating in Donald Trump’s trial.

Got it. And without going through all seven, just give us a little bit of a sketch of who so far is on this jury. What stands out?

Well, not that much stands out. So we’ve got four men. We’ve got three women. One lives on the Upper East Side. One lives in Chelsea. Obviously, they’re from all over Manhattan.

They have these kind of very normal hobbies like spending time with family and friends. They have somewhat anonymous jobs. We’ve got two lawyers. We’ve got someone who’s worked in sales.

So there’s not that much identifying information. And that’s not an accident . One of the things that often happens with jury selection, whether it be for Donald Trump or for anyone else, is the most interesting jurors — the jurors that kind of catch your attention during the process — they get picked off because they are being so interesting that they interest one or the other side in a negative way. And soon they’re excused. So most of the jurors who are actually seated —

Are not memorable.

Are not that memorable, save one particular juror.

OK. All right, I’ll bite. What do I need to know about that one particular juror?

So let me tell you about a prospective juror who we knew as 374, who will now be juror number five. She’s a middle school teacher from Harlem. And she said that she has friends who have really strong opinions about Trump, but she herself does not. And she insisted several times, I am not a political person.

And then she said this thing that made me quite surprised that the prosecution was fine with having her on the jury. She said, quote, “President Trump speaks his mind, and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking.”

Hmm. So she expressed approval of President Trump.

Yeah, it was mild approval. But the thing is, especially for the defense in this trial, all you need is one juror. One juror can tie up deliberations in knots, and you can end with a hung jury. And this is actually something that I saw firsthand. In 2019, I was the foreperson on a jury.

How you like that?

Yeah. And the trial was really complicated, but I had thought while we were doing the trial, oh, this is going to be a really easy decision. I thought the defendant in that case was guilty. So we get into deliberations, but there’s this one juror who keeps gumming up the works every time we seem to be making progress, getting a conversation started.

This juror proverbially throws up his hands and says, I am not convicting. This man is innocent. And we talked and we talked. And as the foreperson, I was trying to use all my skills to mediate.

But any time we made any progress, this guy would blow it up. And long story short, hung jury — big victory for the defense lawyer. And we come out of the room. And she points at this juror. The guy —

The defense lawyer.

The defense lawyer points at this juror who blew everything up. And she said, I knew it. I knew I had my guy.

OK. I don’t want to read too much into what you said about that one juror. But should I read between the lines to think that if there’s a hung jury, you wonder if it might be that juror?

That’s what everyone in the courtroom is wondering not just about this juror, but about every single person who was selected. Is this the person who swings the case for me? Is this the person who swings the case against me?

These juries are so complex. It’s 12 people who don’t know each other at the start of the trial and, by the end of the trial, have seen each other every morning and are experiencing the same things, but are not allowed to have talked about the case until deliberations start. In that moment when deliberations start —

You’re going to learn a whole lot about each other.

That’s right. There’s this alchemical moment where suddenly, it all matters. Every personality selected matters. And that’s why jury selection is so important. And that’s why these last two days are actually one of the most important parts of this trial.

OK. So by my math, this trial will require five more jurors to get to 12. I know also they’re going to need to be alternates. But from what you’re saying what looked like a really uphill battle to get an impartial jury or a jury that said it could be impartial — and Trump was very doubtful one could be found — has turned out to not be so hard to find.

That’s right. And in fact, we went from thinking, oh, boy, this is going awfully slowly, to the judge himself saying we could be doing opening arguments as soon as Monday morning. And I think that highlights something that’s really fascinating both about this trial and about the jury selection process overall.

One of the things that lawyers have been arguing about is whether or not it’s important to figure out what jurors’ opinions about Donald Trump are. And the prosecution and, I think, the judge have really said, no, that’s not the key issue here. The key issue is not whether or not people have opinions about Donald Trump.

Right. Who doesn’t have an opinion about Donald Trump?

Exactly. They’re going to. Automatically, they’re going to. The question is whether or not they can be fair and impartial. And the seven people we already have seated, and presumably the five people that we’re going to get over the next few days and however many alternates — we expect six — are all going to have answered that question, not I hate Trump; I love Trump, but I can weigh in on the former president’s innocence or guilt, and I can do it as fairly as humanly possible.

Now, Trump is not happy about this. He said after court yesterday, quote, We have a highly conflicted judge, and he’s rushing this trial.” And I think that he is going to see these beats of the system the criminal justice system as it works on him as he is experiencing it as unfair. That is typically how he talks about it and how he views it.

But what he’s getting is what defendants get. This is the system in New York, in the United States. This is its answer to how do you pick a fair jury? Well, you ask people can you be fair? And you put them through this process, and the outcome is 12 people.

And so I think we’re going to see this over and over again in this trial. We’re going to see Trump experience the criminal justice system.

And its routines.

Yeah, openings, witnesses, evidence, closings. He’s going to go through all of it. And I think, at every turn, it makes sense to expect him to say, well, this is not fair. Well, the judge is doing something wrong. Well, the prosecutors are doing something wrong. Well, the jury is doing something wrong.

But at the end of the day, he’s going to be a defendant, and he’s going to sit, mostly silently if his lawyers can make him do that, and watch this process play itself out. So the system is going to try and treat him like any other defendant, even though, of course —

— he’s not. And he is going to fight back like no other defendant would, like no other defendant could. And that tension, him pushing against the criminal justice system as it strives to treat him, as it would anyone else, is going to be a defining quality of this trial.

Well, Jonah, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Of course. Thanks so much for having me. [MUSIC PLAYING]

PS, have you ever fallen asleep in a trial?

I have not.

[CHUCKLES]:

Here’s what else you need to know today.

It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act. We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible and in a way that, as I said —

During a visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday, Britain’s foreign Secretary left little doubt that Israel would retaliate against Iran for last weekend’s aerial attack, despite pressure from the United States and Britain to stand down. The question now is what form that retaliation will take? “The Times” reports that Israel is weighing several options, including a direct strike on Iran, a cyber attack, or targeted assassinations. And —

Look, history judges us for what we do. This is a critical time right now, critical time on the world stage.

In a plan that could threaten his job, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson will put a series of foreign aid bills up for a vote this weekend. The bills, especially for aid to Ukraine, are strongly opposed by far-right House Republicans, at least two of whom have threatened to try to oust Johnson over the plan.

I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different, but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing. I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really — [MUSIC PLAYING]

Today’s episode was produced by Rikki Novetsky, Will Reid, Lynsea Garrison, and Rob Zubko. It was edited by Paige Cowett, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Dan Powell, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly Lake.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

• April 19, 2024   •   30:42 The Supreme Court Takes Up Homelessness
• April 18, 2024   •   30:07 The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial
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• April 16, 2024   •   29:29 A.I.’s Original Sin
• April 15, 2024   •   24:07 Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
• April 14, 2024   •   46:17 The Sunday Read: ‘What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise’
• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
• April 11, 2024   •   28:39 The Staggering Success of Trump’s Trial Delay Tactics
• April 10, 2024   •   22:49 Trump’s Abortion Dilemma
• April 9, 2024   •   30:48 How Tesla Planted the Seeds for Its Own Potential Downfall
• April 8, 2024   •   30:28 The Eclipse Chaser
• April 7, 2024 The Sunday Read: ‘What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living’

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jonah E. Bromwich

Produced by Rikki Novetsky ,  Will Reid ,  Lynsea Garrison and Rob Szypko

Edited by Paige Cowett

Original music by Dan Powell ,  Marion Lozano and Elisheba Ittoop

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Political and legal history are being made in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as Donald J. Trump becomes the first former U.S. president to undergo a criminal trial.

Jonah Bromwich, who covers criminal justice in New York, explains what happened during the opening days of the trial, which is tied to Mr. Trump’s role in a hush-money payment to a porn star.

On today’s episode

Jonah E. Bromwich , who covers criminal justice in New York for The New York Times.

Background reading

Here’s a recap of the courtroom proceedings so far.

Mr. Trump’s trial enters its third day with seven jurors chosen.

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The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

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Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state criminal courts in Manhattan. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

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