Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

The English Beat, The Romantics at Dixon May Fair | Dixon, California | 5/10/12 (Concert Review)

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Thursday night was a special evening of music for fans of 80s music in Dixon, CA at the Dixon May Fair.  Featured in concert were two great bands, with The Romantics opening and The English Beat (or just The Beat in their home of the UK) headlining.  The 80s is my personal favorite era of music, particularly anything that fell into the broad categories of “Modern Rock” (later “Alternative”) and it’s various subgenres.  The performances did not disappoint, as each group played favorite, catchy tunes with a great crowd of real fans in attendance.  Fantastic show and awesome to see both bands on the same night, back to back. [Read more…]

The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys at Powerbalance Pavilion | Sacramento, California | 5/5/12 (Concert Review)

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Powerbalance Pavilion in Sacramento hosted an incredible concert event Saturday night, with two awesome bands – The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys.  Being fans for both, I would have paid to see either one, so it was something special to have both acts on the same bill.  Both rocked the stage and the packed stadium hard, but in totally different ways, with Arctic Monkeys bringing their UK style of alternative rock, and The Black Keys showcasing a more raw style of soulful rock.  Collectively for about three and a half hours, it was a relentless onslaught of rock and roll, and it was freaking awesome.  I was fortunate enough to take it all in from arguably the best spot in the house – center front of the GA floor in the immense area.  If you are a fan of either or both these bands, I highly recommend checking out this show, should you have a chance to see them on tour. Phenomenal. [Read more…]

Coldplay at the HP Pavilion | San Jose, California | 4/28/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night, April 28th, was the second in two back-to-back performances by Coldplay at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA – part of their official Mylo Xyloto world tour. This was the sixth time I’ve seen Coldplay in the past six months (having seen their AMEX Unstaged show in Madrid, Spain in October, some of the special European tour dates at the O2 in London and the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in December, and the special iHeartRadio charity gig at Club Nokia and the Jimmy Kimmel Live! block party in Los Angeles in February.  As such, I don’t think I’m in a position to do a “normal” sort of review at this point, as I tend to subjectively compare to all of the other shows I’ve attended in the past year and beyond… but as I’ve come to expect, with last night’s gig, Coldplay put on a high energy show with a great mix of hits and new material.  Watching many in the crowd seeing the show with “fresh eyes”, it was certain that the nearly 18,000 in attendance came away having shared an awesome experience with this fantastic concert.

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Concert Travel Journal Summary | Las Vegas, NV | April 2012

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This is a summary essay and concluding thoughts on my trip to Las Vegas this past week for a variety of shows – Garbage at the The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort on Saturday, Elton John at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace on Sunday, and Mike Tyson’s “Live On Stage” event at The Hollywood Theatre at The MGM Grand on Monday.  I also had a chance to check out the Hard Rock Cafe, Gold & Silver Pawn (the “Pawn Stars” shop), and had a chance run in with Penn Jillette of Pen and Teller.  All in all, a busy three days or so. [Read more…]

Florence + the Machine at Mondavi Center, U.C. Davis | Davis, California | 4/18/12 (Concert Review)

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Last night I finally saw a band I’ve been following since their first album, but have never seen live – Florence + the Machine.  I’ve always been a huge fan of their work, their unique sound, and, well, everything about them.  However, they are one of those bands who turn real fans into something more than that…  I really expected true musicianship and a real stellar performance, but all the same, the passion and energy that came from the stage was unreal.  You don’t expect a band with a harpist to rock that hard.  I was extremely fortunate to have a front row center seat, which always offers such a unique perspective and experience, and of course much of the purpose of this website and these articles is to share in these experiences (through my review and photos) and inspire people to go out and see live music.  I really cannot recommend enough going to check out Florence + the Machine if you ever have the opportunity.  Stellar. [Read more…]

“Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth Live On Stage” at the MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theatre | Las Vegas | 4/16/12

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My two fondest memories of sporting events in my life both featured Mike Tyson…  the first being his shocking defeat by then unknown Buster Douglas in Tokyo on February 11, 1990, and the second, his defeat at the hands of Lennox Lewis in New York on June 8, 2002.  For the majority of his career, and life really, both in and out of the ring, I viewed Mike Tyson as a villain.  However, I’ve been curious about him for the past few years (as a result of his appearance in The Hangover), and had a sense that he may be a significantly changed man.  Though I’d speculate that there have been a few different versions of who that man even is  – a true enigma, much like his tattoo, a symbol he has embraced with visual marketing collateral of this attraction.  With the announcement of his limited, week long “Undisputed Truth – Live on Stage” show in Las Vegas, I was curious enough to check it out to hear what he has to say about his life, and the way he has lived it, and to do so with an open mind. [Read more…]

Elton John at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace | Las Vegas, Nevada | 4/15/12 (Concert Review)

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Bennie and the Jets, Rocket Man, I’m Still Standing, Tiny Dancer, Blue Eyes, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Sad Songs (Say So Much)… some of the best pop songs ever recorded.  This is an easy concert for me to preface, as Sir Elton John needs no introduction – he is a genuine legend in music.  His work is universal and timeless.  And having a chance to experience a performance of many of his greatest hits is indeed an honor. [Read more…]

Garbage at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort | Las Vegas, Nevada | 4/14/12 (Concert Review)

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Garbage played The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas tonight, and it was one of those events that inspired me to book a flight out of California to see the band perform live – and traveling to see gigs such as this one is one of the founding principles of this website, with hopes of sharing such experiences and inspiring others to do the same.  Garbage played two small L.A. shows just prior to this one, as part of their reuniting to record and release their first studio album in seven years.  The eagerly anticipated ‘Not Your Kind of People’ will be released in about a months time.  The concert was phenomenal, and I expect even greater success for this band than was found in their mid-90’s origins.

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Berlin featuring Terri Nunn at Thunder Valley | Lincoln, California | 4/13/12 (Concert Review)

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Tonight was the first Berlin concert of the year, in Lincoln, CA in the foothills of the greater Sacramento area.  The legendary band that was prominent on the radio and MTV in the 80s played through many hits, one less played song (as voted on by Facebook users) and two new songs never played before a live audience prior to tonight.  It was a fantastic show with a lot of energy, and Terri Nunn put on an amazing performance, both vocally and in terms of sheer audience interaction.  The band killed it.

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The Ting Tings at the Fillmore | San Francisco, California | 3/25/12 (Concert Review)

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Tonight I had the opportunity to see The Ting Tings in concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco. This is my first time seeing the band, and they were absolutely fantastic, which is all the more astonishing given that Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drum, keyboards, and even cow bell) had an emergency appendectomy last Friday. The way she performed and danced all over the stage, and even into the audience (more on that later), you would never imagine that she had surgery just about a week ago. Jule de Martino is the other half of the band, on drums, guitar, bass guitar, vocals, and keyboards. [Read more…]