Archive for Concert Recaps
Over the past couple of weeks, Austin, TX modern psych phenoms The Black Angels and Hanni El Khatib paired up for a May tour that wrapped up in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The venue of choice was the exotic confines of The Mayan, a revival-style theater of the late 1920s featuring a lobby known as “The Hall of Feathered Serpents” and a large and gaudy chandelier based on the Aztec calendar stone. Think Legends of the Hidden Temple, except not a television set. This place is real…and it’s awesome. Read more…
SETLIST / RECAP / VIDEO: Rolling Stones @ Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA 5/20/13
Cross another one off the bucket list! Last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Rolling Stones finished up the "West Coast" portion of their "50 And Counting" Tour with a rocking two and a half hour affair. In an interesting curve, especially in the star-saturated... more
CONCERT RECAP: Moon Taxi @ Tipitina’s Uptown, New Orleans, LA 5/16/13
Let me be the first to say, I am by no means a jam band connoisseur or even a casual fan at best. Bands like Umphrey's McGee, Widespread Panic, Phish, or even the Grateful Dead aren’t remotely part of my personal musical lexicon. To give you the extent... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Soundgarden @ The Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, CT 5/17/13
What a show! Pure Rock & Roll played to its finest and sung by Chris Cornell, a man with the voice of a God and a vocal range like no other. I've had the pleasure of catching a solo acoustic Chris Cornell show a couple of years back but that... more
CONCERT RECAP: Toad The Wet Sprocket @ House of Blues NOLA 5/13/13
It’s hard to believe that Toad the Wet Sprocket have been in existence in some form since 1986, even harder to believe they haven’t put out any new material since Coil in 1997. Luckily for fans, that’s about to change. Glen and the gang are currently testing out new... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Kurt Vile & The Violators, Fresh & Onlys, & Steve Gunn @ Neumos, Seattle, WA 5/12/13
“Play ‘Too Hard!’” a fan yelled out last night during Kurt Vile and The Violator’s set at Neumos. The Philadelphia band is on tour in support of their April 9th release, Wakin on a Pretty Daze. The new record features longer songs than before, delving deep into private lyrical substance.... more
CONCERT RECAP: Jim James @ Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, CA 5/11/13
Photo by Christopher Gair Even after seeing his main squeeze My Morning Jacket sixteen times over the last eight years, Jim James still managed to impress, surprise and provide an existential thrill on Saturday night in Hollywood. While the three-night LA run MMJ played back in September at The Wiltern was... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Allah-Las @ The Chapel, SF 5/9/13
Photos by Justin Yee / Words by Blanca Myers (@blancatron) Allah-Las hosted a sold-out beach party last night at The Chapel in San Francisco’s Mission District, filling the venue with surf wax and the sandy vibrations of the California coast. The all-ages show drew a cross-generational crowd of west coasters –from... more
CONCERT RECAP: Foals, Surfer Blood & Blondfire @ House of Blues NOLA 4/28/13
That funny band expression, “they’re big in Europe” was the precursor to the Foals show Sunday night at the House of Blues New Orleans. While the show wasn’t sold out, it was packed and pleasantly comfortable. Supporting act Blondfire was a victim of rain, Jazz Fest, and the... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Everyone Orchestra w/ Marco Benevento & more @ The Blockley, Philly 4/19/13
Photos / Words by Matthew Hebert Marco Benevento and Matt Butler arrived at The Blockley on the eve of the hippy pseudo-holiday with a star studded cast in tow. Marco Benevento got the intimate 700 capacity crowd moving with his unique brand melodic piano rock. In addition to being... more
CONCERT RECAP: Bonobo w/ DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown (aka Erykah Badu) @ The Warfield, SF 5/3/13
This past Friday night I was lucky enough to pull a last-minute ticket to the sold-out Bonobo show here in San Francisco at the Warfield Theatre, and it was so last-minute that I unfortunately had to miss the opener El Ten Eleven, a band I've been hearing a lot of... more
CONCERT RECAP: Dopapod, DrFameus @ Pearl Street Nightclub, Northampton, MA 4/20/2013
It was June of 2010 and I had made my way up to Burlington VT to clear my head and spend some time with an old friend. I walked into his apartment and there was a guy just chillin' out on his couch. What I didn’t know at the time... more
CONCERT RECAP / PHOTOS: Akron/Family @ Spaceland Ballroom, Hamden CT 4/22/2013
I don’t think it would come as a shock to anyone that follows my stories to know that live music is one of my most favorite forms of art. Unlike a painting, a photograph, a written work or even a studio album, it is a form that you really need... more
CONCERT RECAP: PRINCE @ The Joint, Las Vegas, NV 4/27/13
As a result of a general awareness of his live pedigree as the consummate musician/showman, I knew going in that checking expectations at the door was a key pre-requisite to full enjoyment of my first PRINCE show during my first trip to Las Vegas. Expectations leading up were very high.... more
CONCERT RECAP: Tedeschi Trucks Band @ Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT 4/24/13
Photos and Words by Craig Sandor Last Wednesday featured yet another packed house at The Ridgefield Playhouse with 500 very lucky fans here to see The Tedeschi/Trucks Band, and how could it not be sold out? This is a small stage and venue for such a large band, but they certainly filled... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: David Mayfield Parade @ Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA 4/12/13
The David Mayfield Parade rolled into town on Friday night, taking the stage at Smith's Olde Bar in midtown Atlanta. Mayfield is touring in support of his recent 2013 release Good Man Down. The Parade has taken on a new lineup. This current rendition includes Jason Edwards on drums, Evan... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Gary Clark Jr. @ The Roxy, LA, CA 4/16/13
Photos by Jim Brock / Words by Jim Brock and Wesley Hodges Gary Clark, Jr. and the world are a good match. When Clark, Jr. tears into “Don’t Owe You a Thang” live, your hair’s messed up, your car is blocks away and you’re wondering what just happened. Heck, these days,... more
CONCERT RECAP: Rusted Root @ The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT 4/7/13
Photos and Words by Craig Sandor I do believe the last time I had the pleasure of catching Rusted Root live was when they opened for Santana on Carlos' 50th Birthday at what was once called "The Meadows Music Theater", an outdoor amphitheater in Hartford, CT. You know the type of... more
PHOTOS: Snarky Puppy @ The Mint LA 4/7/13
Recently, Snarky Puppy has been making their rounds and melting faces all across the land as they do it! Last evening was their second of a two-night run at The Mint in LA, and this CT-native girl was on vacation and there in person to see it all come to... more
RECAP: Superhuman Happiness’ Album Release Party @ Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY 3/29/13
NYC has long been a city known as a melting pot of musical influences and collaboration. For decades, countless forward-thinking musicians and innovative sounds have come out of this hotbed of musical activity, and now there’s a new group that demands to be added to the list: Superhuman Happiness. The staff... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Lucero and Langhorne Slim & The Law @ The Crocodile, Seattle, WA 4/7/13
To be clear, Langhorne Slim (Sean Scolnick of Langhorne, Pennsylvania) is one of my top five artists of all time. Since Lucero were the actual headliners last night at The Crocodile Café, this post is going to seem a little lopsided. Slim has enough energy and talent to play his... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Alt-J & Hundred Waters @ The Neptune Theater, Seattle, WA 4/6/13
The four members of Leeds, England band Δ (pronounced Alt-J for the method of typing it on a Mac keyboard) are masters of sound creation. Their 2012 debut release, An Awesome Wave, features intricate instrumentation ranging from delicate strings and falsetto musings to full blown, rolling drums and bellowing harmonies.... more
CONCERT RECAP: Allah-Las @ Circle Bar, New Orleans 4/2/13
Los Angeles band The Allah-Las brought a bit of the California surf sound to Circle Bar last Tuesday on a rain-drenched New Orleans night. Hitting the stage just after 11:00, the four deeply tanned dudes easily transported the capacity crowd to sonically sunny places with bright, jangly guitars, four part... more
PHOTOS / SETLIST: Local Natives @ House of Blues, Boston 3/30/13
Los Angeles-based indie rock band Local Natives, almost seemed to be pulling a premature April Fools joke on March 30 when they took the stage at the Boston House of Blues right at 8:00 pm, opening their set with "You and I" and "Breakers" off their newest album Hummingbird. The... more
CONCERT RECAP: New Orleans Bingo! Show @ One Eyed Jacks, NOLA 3/29/13
One thing is for certain, you will never get the same BINGO! Show twist and Friday night was certainly no exception. The New Orleans Bingo! Show took its avant-garde carnival style show to the heart of the quarter. The residence of the evening was One Eyed Jacks. ... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Slightly Stoopid @ The Klein Memorial Auditorium, Bridgeport, CT 3/21/13
So I *cough* just got a chance to *cough cough* check out *cough* Slightly Stoopid at The *cough cough* Klein Memorial Auditorium in *cough* Bridgeport, CT a week or so ago and it took me a while to figure out where to start *cough* with this *cough cough* review as I think I was still a *cough* bit discombobulated... more
RECAP / SETLIST: Sigur Rós @ Agganis Arena, Boston, MA 3/26/13
Last night Sigur Rós, the Icelandic ambient-post rock band from Reykjavik, continued their World Tour in style with a nearly sold out performance at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. Known for their ethereal sound and frontman Jonsi Birgisson’s falsetto vocals and bowed guitar, the band blends classical and minimalist... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Lotus @ The National, Richmond, VA 3/15-3/16/13
Photos by: Ross Citrin / Words by: Steve Ledgers Lotus’ Richmond run at the National was a total smack in the face, a chilling epiphany, and I blame the second night for being the arbiter of truth. It struck me dumb, shook my core, and then softly rolled over my heart.... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: The Gaslight Anthem @ Marathon Music Works, Nashville 3/6/13
If Bruce Springsteen and The Clash had a love child, The Gaslight Anthem would be its evil twin. Personally, I'm a fan of all three. But Gaslight, in particular, has held a solid place in my dark little heart since I discovered their Sink or Swim album four years ago.... more
PHOTOS / RECAP: Django Django, Night Moves @ Public Works, SF, CA 3/22/13
A bit more than halfway through the sold out Django Django show at Public Works, as I was being forcibly bumped on all sides by the lubricated and energetic crowd, the guy behind me bellowed incredulously to his friend, “there’s just so much rhythm!” Yes. Rhythm is what we came... more
PHOTOS: Greensky Bluegrass @ Crown Room at Crystal Bay Club Casino, Lake Tahoe 3/14/13
Kalamazoo residents, Greensky Bluegrass, paid a return visit to Crystal Bay Casino the night before their big show at the Fillmore, where they will be playing with bluegrass legend, Sam Bush, the following night. This wasn’t their first rodeo at Crystal Bay; they have played the Red Room in 2010... more
