Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

The Moody Blues at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/18/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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Fans of The Moody Blues got to experience the band like never before on Sunday night at Ironstone Amphitheatre.  Featuring “an evening with…” style concert presentation, The Moody Blues played two full sets in front of the massive crowd in attendance, the first with various hits from their career and the second presenting a track by track playing of every songs from their groundbreaking album, Days of Future Passed, which celebrates it’s 50th anniversary this year.  They looked and sounded great, and there was a lot of magic in the air as they recreated this landmark album live on stage.

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John Mellencamp at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/17/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Now this next song, I must have been about 25 when I wrote this song…  I don’t even know why I play it anymore other than I know you guys want to hear it, right?”  John Melloncamp on stage at Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironston Vineyards Saturday night, talking about writing his hit song from the 80s, “Jack and Diane”.  The venue was packed with fans turning out to see their blue collar hero from decades past, though it is a strange kind of incongruity with what inspires the fans still today seems to be more of a thorn in the side of the man who captured their imagination with these songs for which he does not seemingly share the same sentiment himself today.  Regardless, he delivered an impressive set and supporting artists Carlene Carter and Emmylou Harris did the same.

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Boston with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 6/10/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Let’s see some hands!” Tommy DeCarlo, vocalist from Boston, getting the massive crowd at Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys reaching up to the sky during “Cool The Engines”.  Essentially a double-header with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts performing earlier, it was a stellar night of classic rock spanning the last four or five decades.  The two artists were a great choice to pair up, in that they had great crossover in fans but were also a showcase in contrasting styles and approaches to bringing their music to life on stage.  Joan Jett & The Blackhearts were stripped down to just the instruments they needed to recreate their raw punk rock style as the sun set into the horizon behind the crowd while Boston had a fantastic spaceship themed backdrop across massive monitors that seemed to fuel their hard and progressive rock sounds.  Early on in Richter Entertainment’s Summer Concert Series, this show set a bar for high energy and pure rock and roll for all the artists to follow.

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Blondie & Garbage Co-Headlining “Rage and Rapture Tour” Kicking Off At Mountain Winery on July 5th

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Blondie and Garbage plan are embarking on a co-headlining tour this summer with John Doe & Exene Cervenka supporting the first half of the tour and Deap Vally on the second leg.  The tour begins at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California on July 5th and concludes in mid-August. [Read more…]

Miike Snow & Phantogram Coming to Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno on June 30th

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Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow and duo Phantogram will be coming to Grand Sierra Resort & Casino’s Grand Theatre at the end of June as part of their sometimes intersecting Summer concert tours.  Both acts released their third studio albums in 2016, with Miike Snow’s iii and Phantogram’s Three each receiving fan and critic accolades (Rock Subculture actually names Phantogram’s album #1 in my end of the year feature).  With both artists on the same bill, it is certainly a show not to be missed on June 30th, or at one of the other dates on their respective tours. [Read more…]

Daniel Ash & Kevin Haskins To Perform as Poptone, Bringing Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love and Rockets to Ace of Spades on June 6th

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Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskings have formed a new band, Poptone, to perform a series of live dates, including a stop in Sacramento at Ace of Spades on June 6th.  As Poptone, Daniel Ash serves on vocals and guitar, his daughter Diva Dompé on bass, and Kevin Haskins on drums.  Ash and Haskins played together in Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love and Rockets, and are playing music from all three bands in this series of live shows. [Read more…]

Midnight Oil at Fox Theater | Oakland, California | 5/27/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“We gotta remember and identify and know that the only thing we gotta fear with the craziness and the madness and some of the very difficult evil things that have happened, is not to be human, is not to be cooperative, not to be looking out for one another, but to be spreading the good stuff everywhere…”  Midnight Oil’s (“the Oils”) Peter Garrett, in his preface to “Put Down That Weapon”, the band’s second single off of their seminal 1987 album, Diesel and Dust.  Some 30 years later, lyrics from the song and the ideas that they invoke seem as poignant as ever.  The band has been mostly off the scene as Midnight Oil since they dissolved in 2002, so with their 2017 reformation and world tour, they have made an unexpected return to much acclaim and excitement.  I was a huge fan of that 1987 album as it blew up in the U.S. at the time, and I had never had a chance to see them perform live until this show at Fox Theater in Oakland on Saturday night.  It was nothing short of incredible, and will certainly rank as one of my favorite gigs of the year.  They are touring a lot in 2017 and crossing back to cities already visited, so I give my highest recommendation to turn out for one of these events…

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Notes & Words 2017: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (feat. Daveed Diggs) at Fox Theater | Oakland, California | 5/13/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“You never know who you’re saving; you never know what future you’re making possible…”  Kelly Corrigan speaking to a packed Fox Theater in Oakland, with 1,615 people in attendance on Saturday night for the 8th annual Notes & Words: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.  As per their format, entertainment included both writers and musicians on stage.  This year featured musicians Daveed Diggs, The Head and the Heart, and Vocal Rush and writers Michael Lewis, Calvin Trillin, and writer (and event host) Kelly Corrigan.  The Oakland School for the Arts Chamber Choir also performed.  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.  An intimate show, it shared many personal stories and perspectives by way of the personalities on stage as well as video presentations offering real context by showcasing some of the patients of the Children’s Hospital.

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Midnight Oil “The Great Circle 2017 World Tour” Underway; CD & Vinyl Box Sets Hitting Stores This Month

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Australian rock band Midnight Oil are in the early stages of their sell out “The Great Circle 2017 World Tour”, and adding more dates as they go along.  Hugely popular in the 80s, the interest and demand in seeing them perform live in concert is tremendous.  New shows have been added at Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Terminal 5 in New York, House of Blues in Cleveland, and First Avenue in Minneapolis. [Read more…]

KISS at Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino | Reno, Nevada | 4/21/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Are you ready?” Paul Stanley of KISS getting the audience prepped to sing along with “Say Yeah”, a song off of their 2009 album Sonic Boom.  24 studio albums (including their four solo albums), live albums and countless other impressions on pop culture at large going back to 1974, KISS have been a rock and roll phenomenon going strong for over four decades.  I am not personally a KISS “fan”, so this is written from the review of someone who has been alive as long as they’ve been together, but never before attended a KISS concert.  They are one of the biggest bands of all time and real icons in rock, so I finally took an opportunity to see what they’ve always been best known for – live concerts.  And now having experienced it, I can say that their reputation for putting on an amazing show is well deserved.  High energy, high production, and filled with many of the innovative elements that other artists have since copied over and over, it was really something to see and hear and feel.  I really could not have been more impressed and I really have a lot of respect for the band and their crew that help put it all together.  If you are a member of the KISS Army, you know all of this; if you are more like me and had never seen the band before, I give my highest recommendations to go and check it out.  And I am glad I was able to take in my first KISS show at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino’s Grand Theatre as it is one of the best concert venues for this type of show.  Everything was top notch.

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