Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

Pixies at Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino | Reno, Nevada | 4/11/2019 (Concert Review + Photos)

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Black Francis usually doesn’t have much to say on stage, and with the latest show by Pixies at the Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino on Thursday night, it was mostly to introduce the titles of new songs that will be on their upcoming album expected later this year.  Hearing these songs for the first time myself, I’d honestly say that this as yet untitled new album may be their best since their original quadrilogy.  Which got me thinking, as I took in the show and had fleeting memories of high school (where I counted Pixies and Depeche Mode as my favorite bands)…  all four of their original albums were literally all released while I was in high school (Surfer Rosa in 1988, Doolittle in 1989, Bossanova in 1990 and then Trompe le Monde in 1991) and I saw them quite a few times in concert back in the day (even opening for U2 once).  In any event, I love every song released during those formative four years (except the two I hated), so seeing them jam live is always such a joy, as their music was made to be performed. [Read more…]

Pixies & Weezer North American Concert Dates in April

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Pixies’ North American tour comes west in April, with shows in Oregon, California, Oakland, Reno and Las Vegas.  Currently co-headlining with Weezer, the band also have some solo dates mixed in as well. [Read more…]

The Psychedelic Furs & James Announce Summer Co-Headlining Tour Across North America

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This Summer, The Psychedelic Furs and James will embark on a co-headlining tour across North America from early July through early August.  I’ve been fortunate enough to see The Furs a number of times in recent years (one of my favorite artists to see live) but I’ve never had a chance to see James, who have been to the U.S. much less frequently.  Supporting the tour will be L.A.’s Dear Boy. [Read more…]

K.Flay’s “Bad Vibes” Out Everywhere; Intimate Shows in San Francisco and Seattle

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One of my favorite emerging artists, K.Flay, has put out a new song, “Bad Vibes” produced by Tommy English (Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves).  With Night Street/Interscope Records, the two-time Grammy® Award-nominated artist also put out a music video for the new song which was directed by Lorraine Nicholson and co-stars actress Kathryn Gallagher (“Annika” from the Netflix series You).  In conjunction with these releases, K.Flay has announced a handful of shows for fans in intimate venues. This includes shows on April 15th in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill and on April 17th in Seattle at Columbia City Center. K.Flay will also appear at this year’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee as well as Dan Reynolds’ (of Imagine Dragons) LOVELOUD Festival in Salt Lake City, UT.

You can keep up with all the latest with K.Flay on her official website at:

Upcoming Dates

  • 04/15 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
  • 04/17 – Seattle, WA – Columbia City Center
  • 06/14 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
  • 06/29 – West Valley City, UT – LOVELOUD Festival

For ticket info and additional the latest tour dates visit: www.kflay.com/tour

You can check out my concert review of K.Flay at The Fillmore in San Francisco from last year here: LINK

Click on the image below for the latest and up to date full Rock Subculture Journal schedule of pop and rock music concerts/tours coming up for review (2019 Rock Subculture Schedule):

Jason DeBord

Ryan Tedder to Headline Notes & Words 10th Anniversary Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland at Fox Theater on April 27th

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The 10th Anniversary of the annual Notes & Words: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland event will be held at Fox Theater Oakland on Saturday, April 27th. As per tradition, it will feature both writers and musicians on stage, this year featuring Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) and the Oakland School for the Arts as well as Oscar winner Helen Hunt (actor/writer/producer) and Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Andrew Sean Greer as well as the creative force behind the event, Kelly Corrigan.  Notes & Words is an annual benefit concert created to support the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland; the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland provides the highest quality medical care to children throughout California. [Read more…]

Metric & Zoé at Hollywood Palladium | Hollywood, California | 3/6/2019 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“You happy? It’s really a trip putting this set list together, as you can imagine, seven records, right?  The past, the future…  You know?  So we kinda want your help at this point; this is the time traveling section of this set… We’re going backwards because we can’t go forward…  So here’s the dilemma and here’s the choice we want you to make…  Do we go back old world and do “Dead Disco” right? That whole thing, right?  Or do we go Fantasies… butterflies, optimism, and do “Give Me Sympathy”?  It’s tricky, it’s tricky… So let’s vote…” Emily Haines of Metric, giving the audience a chance to vote for the next song late in their set at the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday night.  Going by the audience reaction, it was pretty close, but Emily heard a larger reaction for “Give Me Sympathy”.  However, once they finished that fan favorite song, she said “fuck it” and they played “Dead Disco” as well.  It was really a fantastic evening of music with Metric and Zoé taking their co-headlining tour across the U.S., along with special guest July Talk supporting.  Going by that set list, Metric went in deep with their latest album, Art of Doubt (one of my favorite albums of 2018), while Zoé celebrated their Grammy win for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Music Album for Aztlán.  The massive tour is running through May, with some festival appearances to follow.  It will definitely go down as one of my favorite shows of 2019.

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Metric & Zoé Co-Headline Massive U.S. Tour for 2019

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Metric and Zoé are taking a co-headlining tour across the U.S., along with special guest July Talk supporting.  Metric is taking their latest album, Art of Doubt (one of my favorite albums of 2018), out to the masses while Zoé will be celebrating their Grammy win for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Music Album for Aztlán.  The massive tour kicked off last week and will run through May, with some festival appearances to follow. [Read more…]

Ladytron Celebrates 20 Years with New Album and U.S. & Mexico Tour Dates

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Following a seven year hiatus after the release of 2011’s Gravity the Seducer, Ladytron is back with an all-new album and tour for 2019.  The self-titled album hit shelves and streaming services in the last week, and their first live dates will be hitting Mexico and California next week.  The album is the sixth from the synth-pop quartet of Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, Daniel Hunt, and Reuben Wu, who formed in Liverpool in 1999. [Read more…]

MØ Brings “Forever Neverland” Tour to California with Five Shows; Lizzy Plapinger Supporting as LPX

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MØ is touring her awesome Forever Neverland album in the U.S., which Rock Subculture rated as one of the best albums of 2018, with some of my favorite songs of last year as well.  Lizzy Plapinger is also supporting as LPX. [Read more…]

Simple Minds “Walk Between Worlds Tour” at Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino | Reno, Nevada | 10/20/2018 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Can’t believe it’s been, I don’t know, one or two decades since we’ve been able to tour the States extensively… we count our blessings.  I can tell already we’ll all have a great time tonight.  We know that people have traveled from all around to come here tonight, so we really appreciate that as well.  I should tell you that, because we don’t get to come here…  because we haven’t been able to come here as much as we would have like – would have loved – we’re going to go the extra mile tonight.” Jim Kerr, front man and vocalist of Simple Minds at the Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino on Saturday night, before a crowd that was on it’s feet for two full sets from the band.  Simple Minds – led by Kerr and co-founder and guitarist Charlie Burchill – have been recording and performing for 40 years.  And they show no signs of slowing down (and after seeing them live, I imagine that going “the extra mile” is a way of life for them).  Incredible music – old and new – stunning work on guitar by Burchill, and that voice of Kerr’s…  still absolutely captivating.  The duo have an amazing band and this is one concert I will never forget.  Highest recommendation to get out to see this band in a very rare North American tour.  It was a transcendent experience.

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