Backstage Pass

Taylor Swift shouldn’t have to explain herself.

As she proved Wednesday at the Prudential Center, the first of three shows at the Newark arena, Swift deserves credit for actually singing super-popular songs she actually wrote surrounded by a fantastical stage set-up that she helped design. In the current age where sex tapes, fisticuffs, wardrobe malfunctions and drug-fueled rampages are the...

Taylor Swift sets up shop at Prudential Center from Wednesday through Friday with her “Red” tour.

Intro brings you the week’s hottest videos and shows every Monday. To catch up on all the Intros and watch classic Long Island music scene videos, check out Newsday Music’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/newsdaymusic.

THE LIST

TAYLOR SWIFT, “22.” At Prudential Center...

Happy new year! Last week, we counted down the year's best albums. This week, we look at the Top 25 singles of 2012.

20. Zac Brown Band feat. Trombone Shorty, “Overnight” (Atlantic): A catchy, irresistible R&B number from an unlikely source.

19. The Vaccines, “Teenage Icon” (Columbia): A raucous, indie-rock declaration.

18. Divine Fits, “My Love Is Real” (Merge):...

Happy holidays! It's that time of year when we take a look back to celebrate what kept us moving forward. This week, we'll countdown the Top 25 albums and next week we'll take on the singles.

10. Leonard Cohen, “Old Ideas” (Columbia): The lyrics to the opening “Going Home” was seen as so moving and substantive that the New Yorker printed them as a poem. The melody of the lovely “Lullaby” sticks...

The theme of this year's Z100's Jingle Ball was stated oh-so-elegantly at the beginning of the nearly four-hour pop music extravaganza by One Direction, though it may have been lost in all the ear-piercing screams.

“Let's go crazy, crazy, crazy til we see the sun,” the British boy band sang in unison, as they drove the crowd into a hopping frenzy. “Tonight, let's get some . . . And live while...

What a difference a year makes. Last year, at this time, we were all ready for the Grammy coronation of Adele, who ended up sweeping all three top categories.

This year? The field is wide open. Adele is not eligible for many awards this time, even though her “21” seems set to repeat as the year's top-seller (a feat that has only happened once — 30 years ago when Michael Jackson's “Thriller”...

Taylor Swift leads Z100's Jingle Ball Friday night at Madison Square Garden, part of a huge week of shows that include the Rolling Stones and benefit shows from Lucinda Williams and Alicia Keys.

Intro brings you the week’s hottest videos and shows every Monday. To catch up on all the Intros and watch classic Long Island music scene videos, check out Newsday Music’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/newsdaymusic....

    Never, ever, ever getting back together apparently has its benefits. Taylor Swift's new album “Red” sold a stunning 1.21 million copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, giving her the second-biggest opening week for a female artist since the company started counting sales.     Swift, buoyed by the hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back  Together” and...