Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

Maroon 5 at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s | Stateline, Nevada | 7/21/2012 (Concert Review)

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Maroon 5 played a special one-off U.S. show last night at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s at Stateline, Nevada, as part of their Summer Concert Series.  The band will now embark on a broad international tour for their newest album, “Overexposed”.  Fronted by Adam Levine, who has further broken into the mainstream with his role as a judge on NBC’s “The Voice” and other activities, the band easily and quickly sold out the outdoor venue in South Lake Tahoe, and the audience at large were enthusiastic in their response to the show.  The band put together a great set of old and new hits alike, and the generally flawless performance (save for one bug swallowed by Levine) was high energy and very impressive.  The group’s funk and R&B infused pop hits really came alive on stage, and the band’s live renditions of the songs, with a bit of the polish off, came off great.

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Modern English at Harlow’s | Sacramento, California | 7/20/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night Modern English played Harlow’s in Sacramento as part of their U.S. West Coast tour, which begins and ends in the month of July.  For me, their biggest hit, “I Melt With You”, was definitely among the best and most decade defining songs of the 80s – it is really ubiquitous with the vibe and culture and new direction in music that took hold in the early 80s.  As the band has a history and habit of disbanding (in ’87 and ’91), this was my first time seeing them live, so it was an extra thrill to see the band featuring all of its original members.  Of course, it was a matter of time until that seminal classic song would be played on stage, but the set list leading up to it was a fantastic voyage through their incredible catalog, and they sounded absolutely fantastic (and kudos to Harlow’s for the really nicely tuned sound system).  It was both incredible and surreal to see this important band play live, just a few feet in front of me, but definitely worth the wait.

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Information Society at King King | Hollywood, California | 7/3/2012 (Concert Review)

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Late last night and into this morning at King King in Hollywood, Information Society played a special one off gig in the U.S.; the only scheduled show here for 2012 and their first live performance since 2009.  The band leaves for Brazil this morning to play a number of concerts there this month, and those who make those shows will likely be as thrilled to see the band as the fans here in the Los Angeles area.  It was a fantastic show and the group sounded as great as they ever have, and it was a thrill to see them perform.  It was a great crowd of dedicated music fans and the band obviously had a ton of fun playing in this intimate venue.  Epic night. [Read more…]

Jay-Z & Kanye West (Watch the Throne) at The Motorpoint Arena | Sheffield, England | 6/21/2012 (Concert Review)

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While contemporary rap music is not a subgenre at the forefront of my attention and music collection, generally speaking, I’ve always had a lot of respect and admiration for Jay-Z as an incredible artist and really intelligent business man.  I loved “old school” (to me) rap in the 80s (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, etc.) but to me, it was much more pop-oriented and hooky (and, well happy) compared to a lot of what is produced today.  But I would definitely put Jay-Z in a class of his own, and he’s really innovated his own personal brand and genre of music, and it was awesome to finally see it and hear it live, and with this opportunity, the added bonus of this special tour with Kanye West born of their collaboration on the studio album Watch The Throne, naming this tour the same.  I missed the U.S. swing through the east coast late last year as I was in England at the time, and funny enough, caught it now here in England at the second to the last show.  Stellar. [Read more…]

Ash at The Relentless Garage | London, England | 6/17/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night was a really historic and wonderful event by a little band called Ash.  And I mean “little” in the most complimentary sense… a band that has stayed true to its roots and its fans.  The group from Ireland celebrated their 20th anniversary in style, by really creating an event that celebrated their fans as much as themselves.  This was most appropriately illustrated by their second of three (yes three!) sets, which transformed from an acoustic concert in a very small setting (which made the typical MTV Unplugged show look like a stadium gig by comparison) to a session of “Asheokie” (i.e. karoke, but with fans fronting for the band themselves).  It was really unlike any show I’ve ever been to, and demonstrated a lot of class and, well, tremendous fan service. [Read more…]

The B-52s at Ovations LIVE! Showroom, Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino | Chandler, Arizona | 6/8/2012 (Concert Review)

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I have been a fan of the B-52s going back nearly 30 years, finding their music when I was a kid, and being really moved and inspired by their unique and always catchy sound.  The thing that most struck me about their concert at the Ovations LIVE! Showroom inside the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino last night… how their timeless music continues to have the same impact on generation after generation.  Within the crowd were a number of kids, just having the time of their lives.  And what was really moving for me were the efforts made by the band to not only acknowledge them within the crowd, but literally reach out to them, with members of the band giving them cool mementos to remember this great night, including drum sticks and guitar picks and the like.  Because when it comes down to it, as stylishly esoteric and at times irreverent as their music can be, the B-52s are all about celebrating life and doing so in the most positive manner we know how – through great music.  And the B-52s continue to deliver after all these years. [Read more…]

Santigold at Club Nokia | Los Angeles, California | 6/1/2012 (Concert Review)

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Santigold has been on my “must see list” for a while, and with their latest tour, they did not schedule any Northern California shows, so I made a special trip to Los Angeles to see them last night, at one of my favorite venues, Club Nokia.  I have been a fan since the release of their first album, and have become an even bigger fan with the release of their second album, Master of My Make-Believe.  It was an absolutely fantastic night that felt like a giant celebration, with two great opening artists, so enough with the preface and I’ll get right to it.  The thing that most struck me about Santi was her natural ability to make those magic connections with individual members of her audience, one by one – her eyes seeking out and locking onto people with a special smile, expression, or gesture.  Wonderful stuff, and her music is so uniquely her – rare when a newer artist can produce and deliver such genuine art.  I really can’t recommend enough picking up her albums and seeing her do her thing live, with her awesome band. [Read more…]

Billy Idol, Heart, Alice in Chains, Duff McKagan, Mark Lanegan, Moby | Los Angeles, California | 5/31/2012 (Concert Review)

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On May 31st, MusiCares held their eighth annual MAP Fund benefit in Los Angeles at Club Nokia, which honored Jerry Cantrell and Neil Lasher with the Stevie Ray Vaughan award. The award is given to those who help fellow musicians through addiction recovery. As part of the celebration, a number of artists performed the Steve-O MC’d and Moby DJ’d event, including Billy Idol, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Duff McKagan, Mark Lanegan, and Alice in Chains. [Read more…]

Morrissey at Bob Hope Theater | Stockton, California | 5/26/2012 (Concert Review)

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It seems that Morrissey can open a show in a variety of ways – with a thought provoking question, a philosophical remark, or, as was the case for the concert in Stockton last night… with something a little more humorous, such as “my ass is back in town”.  As previously reported, last week I made a trip out to the Hawaiian islands to be able to see two special Morrissey concerts, back to back on two islands. The first was on Maui, at the Castle Theater on May 18th with the second show at the Kaka’ako Beach Park Amphitheater on Oahu the following night, May 19th.  Being from California, the dates in the state here weren’t announced until some time after the Hawaii dates, so I decided to add just a third show for the venue most local to me, in Stockton (which is about a two hour drive).  I am glad to have made the trip for the added experience with this show, as it was quite different from the other two. [Read more…]

Tenacious D at Fox Theater | Oakland, California | 5/24/2012 (Concert Review)

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“Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Molly Hatchet could not be here tonight, but they all had sex and are proud to announce the birth of their two-headed baby, Tenacious D”. And that is how I was originally introduced to Tenacious D, back when they started out with a comedy series on HBO in 1997.  I never would have imagined that I’d see the then faux band in concert some day (following several albums and a feature film).  But the D on stage last night – fronted by Jack Black and Kyle Gass, as they would say, “blew our asses out” at the Fox Theater in Oakland, the second gig on their tour supporting their new album, Rize of the Fenix. [Read more…]